Free Falling
by magic-reeni
Summary: SEQUEL TO FLYING WITHOUT WINGS! A papercut? How did things become so awkward from something so simple, Harry couldn't figure it out. Things had been going so well and now...Maybe the final battle with Voldemort didn't go as smoothly as he thought.
1. Unsettling Settling In

Emerald eyes blinked open, taking in the fuzziness of the room Harry automatically assumed his glasses must've been removed at some point. Harry shut his eyes against the brightness coming in somewhere to his left and took a deep breath, immediately recognizing the scent of potions and sterilizer and, along with the scratchy sheets wrapped around his aching form, he found it safe to assume he was in the hospital wing. _How long I've been in here is different story._

At first the savior of the wizarding world thought he'd woken up alone, but after focusing for a bit he could make out the whispered, hurried words of two people having a very quick discussion slash argument in Madam Promfrey's office. The first logical person to think of in the office was, of course, the head nurse herself. Who she was talking to Harry had to strain his ears a bit harder without having to move. His heart rate picked up first and it was only a second after that when the green-eyed teen recognized the tone of voice being used from the mystery person. Even though he couldn't make out any actual words, Harry could never mistake the permanent sex voice that could easily make him cum in his pants just from talking alone. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, especially to his two lovers. No, they'd be much too inclined on testing the theory out and Harry would've been fearful for his very life if that ever happened.

Upon glancing around the room though the teen was disheartened to learn that Draco wasn't somewhere in the room also. The ticking of the clock shoved against the far wall caught his attention next and the panicky feeling that clawed at his chest eased. Of course Draco wouldn't be hanging out in the hospital wing at this time of day. Severus would never let him run around after hours. All the same though, Harry was certain his older lover was keeping their blonde boy-toy probably more up to date than even his friends. He knew, they both knew, how Draco could fuss when he was worried.

The muscles in his arms protested angrily as Harry tried to shift himself into sitting up. Once he was pushed halfway up though he immediately regretted it. A sharp, pulsing agony of pain from every pin point of an ache had multiplied it to feel as though a thousand Cruciatus curses were focused solely on him. His eyes hurt, his scar hurt, bones and muscles, from the tips of his fingers to the very edges of his toenails and Harry had never known nails to hurt before unless they were ripped off.

The weird and sometimes annoying magical wards he must've had buzzing around his bed were set off when he moved. Either that or it was just the very odd and perfect timing the fussy school nurse always seemed to have when it concerned him had sent the signal to her brain announcing that Harry Potter was trying to get out of bed. The door to her office clicked open and both her and Potions Master extraordinaire bustled from the small office to his bed.

Madam Promfrey poked and prodded at Harry for several minutes. She even went so far as to take his temperature and make sure he could tell how many fingers she was holding up with and without his glasses on. Afterwards she bustled off to fetch a few potion-filled bottles of which Harry had no doubt would be so awful and foul tasting and, even worse, he'd have to down them in one go or risk being scolded and poured another serving.

After the infirmary's potion store room closed with an audible, resounding click in the otherwise silent and empty hospital wing the professional sneer on Professor Snape's face softened. He offered a very gentle, small smile to the injured teen, leaning forward to press a ghost of a kiss to Harry's forehead. "We were so worried for you," Severus told him in the quietest of whispers directly to his ear. He stayed there, nuzzling the teen's cheek for as long as possible, until the click of the door opening again had him pulling away and replacing his scowl.

While the nurse went about pouring several different colored potions, one for each color of the rainbow Harry noted with amusement, into seven different cups and stirring one or the other with a powdery substance she sprinkled in, Severus shifted behind Harry and fluffed up his pillows for him. Harry hid a grin though when he realized that his Potions Professor was more interested in rubbing small circles into his back though than adjusting his bedding, not that Harry had any complaints about his lover wanting to sneak little touches to him.

"For heaven's sake, Severus, are you going out of your way to make sure he's uncomfortable," the nurse scolded. As bold as ever, the lady actually had the nerve to bump the stoic and highly feared Potions Master out of the way, instructing him to instead help Harry lean forward. They shared a quick grin together and Harry considered it a special treat that she didn't like the small touch up Severus did to his pillows. So, while she was busy rearranging them Harry was allowed to lean against Severus, more heavily than he probably should've considering there was still another person in the room who was unaware of their relationship, but he could care less at that moment. He held on tightly to the man's shoulders and inhaled his musky scent with a short exhale and a long inhale of air, loving the potion ingredient and older man smell that clung to his lover's robes and skin. However, his joy was short lived when Madam Promfrey ordered him to lie back again, but he was pleased when he was at least sitting up a bit rather than a complete lie down.

"You're just exhausted, is all," Promfrey told him curtly, bustling about and handing him the potions she'd poured. Harry cringed at each one but swallowed obediently and quickly with the only hope that the burning acid that accompanied every potion he'd ever swallowed along with the individual horrible tasting trademark taste would fade eventually. You'd think after centuries of brewing the stuff someone would've come along to try at least making them taste more bearable? But no, it seemed like every person who ever brewed potions had a sick sense of humor by making poor, sick people like himself drink nasty, vile liquids to get better. Severus certainly did. "It'd be better if you healed naturally so I'm not going to give you any more potions. Once you've recovered a bit more on your own than I can finish you up in a jiffy," she told him promptly, before bustling from the room with the empty cups and potion bottles.

With one last grin Severus leant over and placed another kiss to his temple and offered his rare reserved-for-two-people smile. "Let's see how fast our Draco can be," he suggested. At Harry's confused look Severus wrote out a short two line letter and then instructed Harry to write something short at the bottom before sending it off with an owl. While they waited, Severus played with the fuzz of Harry's hair, running his long fingers through the messy strands while talking about how long he'd been in the hospital (_Four days, huh, I expected to be out a little longer…Oh well, the sooner I wake up the sooner I can get the hell out of here_) and that because of his defeat of the Dark Lord the minister had deemed Harry a fully trained wizard and rewarded him with an Order of Merlin: First Class. "So you don't have to worry about taking your finals anyway. I'm sure that was the first thing on your mind when you woke up," Severus noted sarcastically. While he spoke though Harry felt his eyes droop closed and he was out faster than he ever thought possible before.

The next thing he heard as he was waking up was the hushed arguing and fervent voices he recognized immediately and he grinned inwardly as he caught Draco's voice. "Why didn't you call me right away, Sev! I didn't want him to wake up alone!"

"I assure you, Draco, I was simply right in the next room when he woke up and I hurried to his side as quickly as possible without setting off one of Pomfrey's blasted internal, motherly instinct alarms. Besides, it was after hours. I couldn't send for you until I was certain she was going to leave him be."

Draco growled, but settled for whining instead and then suddenly there was a rustle of cloth. Harry cracked his eyes open just a bit and felt his heart crush inside his chest. Sitting on the bed beside him were his two lovers. Severus was petting the blonde hair of their youngest Slytherin in the trio, comforting him and shushing him while Draco hid his face in the Potions Master's heavy black robes, dry sobbing and hiccupping quietly. He called him using his nickname, but his voice cracked heavily and it sounded more like 'Ay' than 'Dray', but it was enough of an attention getter. The blonde looked up only briefly and then tore away from Severus with a half cry half squeak, jumping on the bed and crushing the brunette in a very large, tight hug.

"I was so worried about you. You passed out on the field and you wouldn't wake up. There was so much. There was so much!"

"I'm here now," Harry whispered, feeling the very rare burn of Draco's tears as they slid down his bare neck. He didn't really understand what the blonde was talking about by 'being so much' but if all three of them were together still and as happy as can be than he didn't really care at that point. If it still mattered later than he'd ask when the time came. He pet his loose blonde hair back, closing his eyes and feeling the comfort that came with having one so close to him. Two was always better but he was so focused on Draco at the moment that he didn't realize just how relaxed he really was when he should be feeling sorer than ever before.

Draco suddenly shot up, not pulling away, but just enough to glare at him with his beautiful ice blue eyes that Harry could always stare into for hours. "You can't ever leave like that again, you bastard," he scolded, clutching the shirt of Harry's pajamas in tight, pale fists. "You just up and left the bed and I was so scared I almost ran out into the halls bare assed!" Harry managed a chuckle but it soon turned into a coughing fit and Severus immediately pulled Draco off his chest, holding him back until it stopped. When it receded enough that he could breathe again, Severus handed him a glass of water which he sipped thankfully, sighing back against his pillows.

Without prodding Severus continued on his earlier conversation. He explained that the night of the Dark Lord's death there had been a huge celebration and classes were cancelled for the next day. All the bodies of the Death Eaters that had dropped when Voldemort died took the next two days to clear out, much of the seventh years along with teachers, the D.A., and the Order of Merlin helped the Aurors accomplish. Draco then added that there was no doubt going to be another huge party when Harry was well enough to be walking around. "You did receive thousands of gifts," Severus added, rubbing the back of his neck, "but Pomfrey was having a fit that it was taking up most of her ward to hold them so they were forwarded to Gryffindor Tower."

"No doubt all my wonderful friends are enjoying my gifts by now then," Harry joked, laughing at the thought of only ever hearing about all the great things sent his way. The joy on his face quickly turned to pain when he started coughing again and he took another few sips of water to ease the burn in his throat. "Sorry," he muttered tiredly, taking Draco's hand at the blonde's worried expression.

The explanation continued on for another several minutes. With each tick on the clock though Harry's eyelids drooped further and further until, just before passing out, he felt the glass in his hands taken away and a kiss to both his forehead and his cheek.

B R E A K

The final time Harry Potter woke up in the hospital wing he was completely alone and with no voices to direct him. He knew right away that somehow he felt very different – stronger. He no longer felt the urge to moan at his pains and his muscles no longer throbbed when he shifted or moved or thought about how much they hurt. Sitting up effortlessly, rubbing his eyes and putting his glasses on, Harry noticed a single card and a lonely chocolate frog sitting on the table beside his bed, innocently waiting for him. _The only gifts I'll ever see_ Harry reminded himself with a grin. Opening the card he grinned at the curt order that instructed him to recite his name clearly. Doing so made the words disappear and then fading onto the page were two very long messages, heartfelt and wonderful, written in two perfect handwritings from both Severus and Draco for him. As he read he nibbled on the chocolate and couldn't wait to find his two lovers and thank them for the gift. Simple but it still made his heart burst to know they were still thinking of him. No doubt if he thought about Ron and how he could have a glutton of a sweet tooth, this chocolate frog would be the only candy he'd see of his gifts.

Harry swung his legs off the edge of the bed and glanced around, waiting for the inevitable moment when Madam Pomfrey would come running in to scold him for trying to leave the bed. When it never came he grinned, shrugged his shoulders, and stood up the rest of the way. The least he could do was fix the bed to ready it for the next student to come along and need healing. Pulling off the linen himself, if only to keep the poor mediwitch from having more to do on his account, he then dropped them into the hamper that magically sent everything to the house elves for cleaning. He used the wrapper left behind from his chocolate frog to write out a quick thank you note for the head nurse and set it on the side table before pushing open the ward doors.

The halls were strangely quiet and deserted and Harry felt oddly very alone. Suspicion immediately turned to what day it was and the only place he could find out was the dungeons. McGonagall would've no doubt changed the password to the tower during his time in the hospital wing, but he knew Severus never would've changed it without letting them know first. He met nobody on his way down the several flights of steps and he wondered if he'd actually slept through the rest of the school year. _No, because Severus and Draco would've been in there. _Depression immediately dropped into his stomach though at the thought that his two lovers wouldn't be there when he woke up when school let out.

Nobody was in their rooms in the dungeon but he did change into some new clothes. The idea of being in the same clothes for a week was a little unappealing for him. He was dying for a shower, but he rather find out what was going on first and then worry about the very alluring soap and shampoo calling to him. For obvious reasons he wasn't expected since there was no note from anybody so he went to the next best place.

He cracked open the door to the Potions Classroom and cringed at the loud thud as it banged against the adjacent wall. When he opened his eyes again his took in the room and his cheeks burned with the flush he was sporting at all the stares turned his way. Just from looking at the giant hour glass sitting on Professor Snape's desk Harry immediately guessed this was the Potions final and he scooted backwards out the door just as he heard Severus' breathy, "Mr. Potter, what a surprise," as the door closed. At the same time he also caught Draco's worried look and twitchy legs underneath his desk and his two Gryffindor buddies unified shouts of "Harry!"

Breathing heavily in nerves Harry leaned leadenly against the stone wall, and closed his eyes. Hardly the way he wanted to be introduced into the world by walking into the middle of a finals session. When the door opened again he heard the loud talking of everybody inside the room and he caught his name a few times before the door shut heavily again. He shut his eyes in an attempt to block out words just before he was enveloped in a warm hug.

"What are you doing here? Madam Promfrey didn't send word that you woke up."

Harry hid his face in the heavy robes, blocking out all the light from the candles brightening up the dungeons so he could only see pitch black. "I-I'm sorry, Sev," Harry gasped, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Merlin…I-I woke up alone and I felt great so I left. I couldn't find anyone and…Bejeezus! I didn't even think about finals. I couldn't figure out what the day or time was...-"

"Shh, Harry, Harry," Severus soothed, petting his hair and holding him tightly. "It's okay, I understand. There's nothing to be sorry for. It was just a bit of a shock."

The door opened again and then was pulled shut heavily before Severus pulled away and Harry had an armful of Draco in his lap, holding him tightly. "All for the entrance, eh, Potter," Draco joked, but it held no bite to it and Harry just held him tighter. He never would've pictured either of his lovers for the kind that would break down, at least not in front of other people, but he supposed after what happened they deserved it. So he smiled and held him for as long as possible. When he finally did pull away Draco quickly rubbed his face and explained that he finished his test to Severus and that he placed it on his desk. Severus nodded approvingly and then told him to take Harry to the kitchens to get something to eat.

B R E A K

That night there was, indeed, a larger party than what they'd had the first time just because he'd woken up. Hundreds of owls had landed in front of him in the Great Hall with letters of congratulations, gifts, and, surprisingly, even wedding proposals. Draco was happily given the pleasure of burning each of those with a smile on his face. The first he did out of anger, which shocked Harry and then pleased him warmly, so he gave each one to his blonde lover, kissing his cheek discreetly each time he handed him one.

Everyone was dancing or talking excitedly that evening and Harry must've danced with every person in the room except for the very two he wanted to be with the most. What could he say without drawing suspicions though?

If no one had mentioned how distraught Draco had been that last day he was fully awake just before passing out or how it seemed surprising that Severus Snape, greasy git Potions Master, and Draco Malfoy, slut extraordinaire and Prince of Slytherin were the first to his side to hear his first words as Hero of the Wizarding World than it just hadn't occurred to anyone that it was out of place. If either of them were asked about how odd it was though, knowing how quick his two lovers could be, they must've made something up or lied about something to say.

As he was about to leave the festivities, not quite in the mood for celebrating with everyone, Harry was yanked into a hidden alcove tucked away in the shadows and was promptly kissed fervently. He kissed Draco back hungrily with all the strength of not being able to properly love either of his two most favorite and important men for over a week. He knew the three of them would be celebrating together in a much more private manner that night if the hardness against his thigh or the roaming hands up his shirt were anything to go by.

"Let's go," Draco breathily whispered.

B R E A K

Harry lay shirtless, sweaty and panting, in the middle of the bed with Draco lying on top of him. The blonde was flushed, staring at him through half-lidded eyes before he leaned down and started suckling on his collarbone, drifting downward to tease his nipples. "The only thing that could make this better," Draco noted, switching to the other dusty pink disc while tweaking the other pert nipple, "was if Sev didn't have to finish up those blasted tests first."

Moaning, Harry agreed, holding onto Draco's head as he slid down his body, licking his navel as he undid the belt buckle around his waist. "He'll be here soon," the brunette told him just hissing out when Draco enveloped his hard-on. He grabbed onto the blonde strands of hair and bucked up before Draco had a chance to grab his hips. "D-Dray," Harry whimpered, feeling sweat drip from his forehead as he cried out with each lick and suckle to his erection.

Draco pumped Harry's member, squeezing and licking alternately. When a cool hand touched his back he looked up quickly and grinned. "Sev," he whispered. Harry groaned at the loss of stimulation but didn't end up caring when he saw Severus standing beside the bed. Reaching over for him eagerly the dark haired Slytherin leaned down and kissed him deeply just as the blonde started again, causing an elongated, pleased moan to be swallowed up by Severus.

"May I," the oldest asked in his gruff, hungry bed voice. Draco smirked and pulled away, allowing Severus to take his place. "Help me, Dray," he asked, spreading Harry's legs while giving the tip of his member a lick, causing a throaty groan to be pulled from the brunette's throat and he bucked his hips.

Together the two Slytherin's prepped their little Gryffindor, fingering him and purposefully rubbing against his swelling prostate. Tears burned in Harry's eyes by the time they finally pulled their digits out simultaneously and he whimpered quietly on the bed, already knowing that he wouldn't last very long. Draco swallowed his erection again just as Severus drove into his very willing body and the green-eyed seventeen year old cried out with pleasure, much too limp from his lovers' earlier ministrations to even notice or care about the pain that might've been there. Severus thrusted continuously into Harry, slowly moving faster and faster and Draco suckled him, teasing him mercilessly with his tongue and his lips. Just as Harry knew it would, he came quickly, exploding and releasing himself inside Draco's mouth with a loud cry, grasping his blonde hair tightly while bucking his hips.

Draco pulled away, stroking Harry's chest soothingly as the Gryffindor all but passed out on the bed, breathing heavily in large pants and sheen with sweat. Then he turned to Severus, shifting to straddle Harry's waist backwards so he could face their Potions Professor. He grinned and then pressed his lips to Sev's, kissing him deeply and sharing the taste that was Harry with their other lover. Severus groaned into the lip-lock, releasing himself deep inside Harry's body with a throaty moan, allowing Draco to swallow all of his noises as they swallowed together what was left of their brunette. Then, together, they leaned over and pressed chaste kisses to Harry's cheek and lips. "We love you, 'Ri," they whispered and watched as he drifted off to sleep.

"Poppy must've had a cow when she found out he was gone this morning," Severus noted, stroking the dark, damp strands covering his forehead. Draco nodded, pulling the glasses off the serene face and placed them on the side table. "She came to find me to see if I had something to do with it."

Draco smirked, curling up into Harry's side and throwing an arm over his waist. "I wouldn't want to be in there after a week either." His voice was slightly shaking though and he knew he wouldn't able to hide his fear from Severus. Maybe Harry as his condition was right then, but definitely not Severus when he was coherent with everything that had been going on lately.

Severus moved his fingers from Harry's face to Draco slowly, slipping his long fingers down his pale cheeks. "Hey, it's going to be okay," he promised. "Harry's back by our side and you saw him and talked to him yourself, he said he's feeling better than ever."

"But, Sev, there was so much – ."

"That's over now," Severus interrupted, voice hardening. "Harry doesn't need to know. 'Ri doesn't need to know about that. We both agreed so we aren't going to say anything. Poppy had alerted Dumbledore about it as well and you heard him tell the whole student body not to say anything as well. Harry will never know what happened on that field, okay, Draco?" The blonde nodded, curling in tighter to Harry's body and rested his cheek on the cooling, still somewhat damp chest.

"You promise?"

"Always, Dray; always," Severus swore, petting the blonde hair until both of the teens were sleeping.

B R E A K

Harry was awake first the next morning and he felt amazingly sore. He couldn't move, but he found himself not really wanting to move even if the two bodies sleeping against him hadn't been there. Instead, he found his thoughts wandering to the previous night and how Draco had seemed…odd. At first his attention hadn't quite seemed to be there until they'd gotten to the room and he wondered what had made him so out of it at first until they'd actually reached the dungeon. He'd been…unusually nervous, which made Harry worry about how he was acting himself. Maybe it was just Harry who was acting strange and he wondered about that.

Draco shifted and then rolled entirely off the bed, sauntering off while yawning and still half asleep. Harry watched him go and was about to slip out of bed too if it hadn't been for Severus, who stayed a hand on his shoulder before going after him. The older man shifted out of the bed as well, grabbing his robe on the way and hurried to Draco. Sitting up in the bed, Harry grabbed his glasses and looked around the corner just enough to catch Severus wipe tears from the blonde's eyes and whisper something in his ear. There was something in the way Draco gazed at Severus that made Harry's heart slam into his throat at the intensity of raw emotion he saw there.

When the two of them shifted to head back into the bedroom Harry hurried back, covering himself quickly to look as though he was just getting up. He smiled brightly and warmly at his two lovers and pushed the covers over to invite them both back in. The two climbed in next to him, nuzzling into his side and wrapping their arms around him. Draco rested his head in Harry's lap, holding onto one of his legs tightly. Severus reached into the side drawer beside him, pulling out a thin slip of paper, folded in thirds, which he handed to Harry without a moment's hesitation and a heart-wrenching smile.

"What's this," he asked curiously, staring at the paper.

Draco adjusted his head on the brunette's lap so he could look up into the bright green emerald eyes that sparkled with the early morning light from the magic window to the side. "It's a gift," he whispered, tracing imaginary lines on his thigh. Harry wanted to giggle at the ticklish feeling but instead just ran his fingers through the loose blonde strands.

"An important gift from us," Severus added, kissing the top of his head and slipping a hand around the back of his waist.

Harry gasped as he opened it, feeling tears in his eyes already. The paper was a deed to a house, a beautiful two-story house with a large yard and no neighbors to see if the picture magically paper-clipped on the corner was anything to go by. No, it wasn't either the picture or the deed that got Harry to become such an emotional mess. It was the note that Severus and Draco had added to it that made him feeling like crying.

_Harry, our dearest 'Ri,_

_We love you more than life itself could ever be long enough to describe. The house you see used to belong in the Snape family, but hasn't been used in several years. After our relationship became serious we agreed to live together and chose this house with no argument. It's been fixed up and furnished and we agreed to move in when Draco graduated. We love you Harry Potter and we are very serious in our want and need to stay with you. We would love it more than you could ever know if you would live with us in this perfect house we found, for you are our perfect third and complete us in every way. _

_Love always,  
Severus and Draco_

"I – I…"

Draco lifted his head, sporting a beautiful smile as he looked directly into Harry's eyes. "We want you to come live with us, Harry. We couldn't bear to lose you now."

"Thank you," he whispered. Draco grinned warmly and snuggled into his chest while Severus pressed another kiss to the side of his head, letting his fingers drift through Draco's hair from the other side of Harry's waist where it was trapped. Neither would be moving all morning.

B R E A K

The Great Hall that evening was filled with seventh-year students and teachers alike, along with several scattered parents sitting towards the back as proud as can be. Up front with all the teachers sat the Minister of Magic himself, arms crossed and with a bored, tired expression painted across his pudgy face. Dumbledore spoke with the most enthusiasm he'd ever used in any of his speeches before, the twinkle in his eyes extra sparkly and cheeks a bright rosy red.

Most of the students had already received their diplomas, Draco Malfoy included, and Hermione Granger as valedictorian had given her long, month-long thought out speech at the beginning. When Professor McGonagall had reached the 'P's on her list everyone was slightly confused as to why Harry hadn't been called up to receive his diploma along with everyone else…all except the teachers and the student in question himself. His name wasn't called until the very end after everyone else…

"This last student has been an inspiration to a large quantity of all the students seated here tonight as well as several not here and many professors that teach right here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore began with beaming excitement. "I've seen him walk through those very doors, small and confused, at the young age eleven. He battled his way through corrupted teachers, the unfairness of life thrown his way, all the way up to the age of seventeen where he became the single most important savior and hero of our time, and I might like to add the youngest at the same time. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. Harry James Potter!" The crowd erupted with fury as the teen stood, blushing and giving a slight wave as he hurried up the steps to shake the Headmaster's wrinkled, but strong hand. He received his diploma with a large smile, giving a bow to both his teachers (sharing a quick look with Severus with a smile) and then to the rest of the Hall (easily pinpointing Draco with his platinum blonde locks near the rest of the graduated Slytherins) before turning to leave.

Before he could reach too far though, the Minister quickly stood and addressed the crowd. "As most of you already know why I'm here and for what reasons I decided there was no point in entertaining the thought of a speech to follow our Headmaster Dumbledore's so, instead, I think I would just like to say the only words that seem appropriate at this time. Harry Potter," he addressed, turning to the teen and offering his hand to shake, "as Minister of Magic and on behalf of every and all magical creature and being, thank you!" The crowd blew up again with cheers and applause loud enough for even the deafest of people to hear. Harry blushed brightly, taking the man's hand and giving it a firm shake. "Also, I present this to you as a token of our appreciation and to show the world what an honor you are: The Order of Merlin, First Class!"

Green eyes shining with tears, Harry greatly accepted the framed paperwork, holding it tightly to his chest as he walked back down the steps to his seat. The applause ended only after he'd sat down, waving one last time for show and then turning back to hear Dumbledore's ending speech before he dismissed the seventh-year students for the last time.

B R E A K

"It's beautiful," Harry breathed, looking up at their new home with wonder. He'd already cried once that morning just because he was finally leaving the first home he ever knew to go to a completely new one. He refused to cry again.

They'd left after breakfast, packing up their things quickly, and then Severus created the portkey using a rock from outside. Several reporters from every kind of newspapers were anxiously waiting outside to know where the Hero of the Wizarding World would be going, but they would all be sorely disappointed. Dumbledore wouldn't let any one of them past the gates and the two new graduates waited inside Severus' rooms for him to return so nobody even saw The-Boy-Who-Triumphed that day. He was upset that he didn't really get to say goodbye to Ron or Hermione but he'd agreed with his two lovers it was for the best that he didn't go wandering the halls just in case one of those really sneaky wizards or witches, like Rita Skeeter who was an illegal animagus, got inside the castle walls and spotted him. So, instead, he watched them from the magical window in the bedroom as they walked down with all the other departing students to the front gates, escorted by Hagrid, to the train. He wasn't worried though because Severus had already promised it would be okay to send letters back and forth and visit them at some point when the media had lost its buzz.

Now that they'd arrived at the house, even though Harry had already seen it from the picture, he could hardly believe his eyes at how beautiful it really was. A two-story house with blue-grey paint and large windows was the first thing he saw when he's straightened up from the disoriented state left behind from the portkey. There were several trees surrounding the dirt path they all stood in and there was no need for a fence since, just like in the picture, there were no neighbors or other buildings for miles around. The exquisite house was positioned on top of a hilltop that overlooked acres of only unspoiled beautiful nature and his heart raced with the thought of flying around to get a better look. On the front porch it curved around to one side of the house where a bench swing had been hung and he grinned as he could already imagine them spending lazy days sitting there, cuddled up together and just enjoying each other's presence.

"Come on, 'Ri," Draco said excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him around to the back of the house.

It was even more than he could've expected as he looked around. The picture hadn't given a hint of what might lay behind the house, but just from being in the front he could venture a guess. A medium-sized greenhouse with a pebbled path leading to the porch stairs lay a few feet from the main house. There were several trees as well to give plenty of shade but one particularly large tree stood out from the rest and Harry grinned at the site of it. Tied to one of the higher, stronger branches, was an old tire-swing.

Catching his eye's line of path Draco snickered. "Yeah, I remembered playing on one with Pansy and Blaise when I was really little so I asked Sev if we could have one. My father disapproved of me playing on one after I turned five so I'm really looking forward to breaking that in." Harry laughed and turned to the house where he already saw Severus in the kitchen window watching them. Hand-in-hand they went inside and looked around.

All the rooms were wonderfully spacious with lots of windows for lighting and old, but comfortable furniture that looked as though it had been fixed up to appear new. The living room was towards the front of the house, just across the hallway from the dining room set up for lots of guests. The kitchen already had a smaller table and a few chairs for the three of them. Adjacent to the living room was a small parlor with a bar, several drinks already lining a short shelf behind the countertop. Upstairs there were three bedrooms, one that had served as the master bedroom and was therefore twice as big as the other two. Two bathrooms as well and Harry had almost squealed at the one that was connected to the main bedroom as it had a glass shower as well as a bathtub that could've passed off for a spa from the size of it. Harry had also caught sight of a library and he rolled his eyes just imagining how much fun Hermione would've had in there. Draco wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at the large tub which caused Harry to blush and laugh at the same time. All in all Harry didn't think he was going to have any problems living in this house and he told Draco so as they went to find Severus again.

They found him through a doorway and down some stairs in the kitchen that they hadn't noticed their first time through. "Sev had mentioned a private lab somewhere in the house. I guess that's the basement," Draco explained as they pushed aside the curtain at the bottom and, sure enough, there was Severus unpacking by hand full and empty potion bottles and several carefully wrapped potion ingredients.

Draco grinned and moved forward, looking through some of the boxes still taped firmly shut and started organizing the bottles as well. Severus only shared a look with the blonde before turning away again. Wanting to help as well, Harry moved to another closed up box but before he could put his fingers on it, Severus grabbed his wrist in a firm yet gentle grip. "Sev?"

The Potions Master smiled and pulled Harry into his chest instead, petting his messy dark hair. "We all know how clumsy you can be, Harry, and these are all very important ingredients."

"But I wanna help," Harry told him, looking up dejectedly.

Draco moved over, kissing his cheek. "Hey, 'Ri, there's some boxes in the library upstairs. Why don't you go unpack those and when I'm done here I'll come up to help?"

Harry pouted but turned to go back up the stairs. Shortly after the curtain swished shut behind him the teen stopped and looked behind to watch the silhouettes of his two lovers shift around the room. He took a seat on one of the steps and let out a quiet sigh, resting his chin in the palm of his hands and stared past the curtains obstructing the view of the potions lab.

"Do you think that was okay," he heard Draco asked, looking back at Severus.

There was a small rustle of cloth as the Potions Master shrugged. "He knows he's bad at potions. I can't have him dropping things or shaking up the bottles accidentally. Numerous of these could cause explosions and I know neither of us wants to see him in a hospital bed again anytime soon, right?"

Harry heard the sound of sniffling before Severus' silhouette moved over to Draco's and held him tightly, petting his hair back and giving him kisses. Jealousy settled in his stomach first and then an acid built up in his throat and made it burn when he swallowed. He tried not to be hurt when Draco was allowed to help when he wasn't. He really did try. No matter how hard he seemed to try though tears would blur his vision and he pulled away from the stairs and closed the door behind him as quickly as he could. There was unsettling heaviness in his stomach that he couldn't explain…or rather didn't want to explain because he was suddenly very afraid that this feeling was something telling him there was something important that Severus and Draco were keeping from him since they'd mentioned something about him in the hospital.

B R E A K

All three were sitting at the table in the kitchen one morning, a few weeks after their move in, when Severus set down his fork with a pleased smile. "I'm pleased to announce that after several years of teaching at Hogwarts and dealing with bratty, horrible children all day long, I am now officially an ex-Potions Professor."

"That's great, Sev," Draco congratulated, wiping his face with a napkin.

Harry watched them both for a second, having spent a great deal of time paying extra attention on how they interacted with each other since what happened in the potions lab. So far neither of them had dropped any clues about what could've happened. "Why are you quitting," he asked quietly, pushing his eggs around on his plate.

Both glanced over at him curiously. "Well, I never really enjoyed teaching before. I'm sure you've noticed that." At Harry's nod he continued. "And I was only there to keep on an eye on you as a double agent for Albus while I was a spy. You knew that too." The brunette nodded again. "Well, now that Voldemort's dead there's no need for me to be there anymore. Albus knew that as soon as _he_ was gone I wasn't going to be there anymore so he was completely agreeable when I sent in the papers for resignation."

"So….what are you going to do now," Harry asked just as quietly, setting his fork down and finally looking up at his two lovers.

Draco blinked, looking between Severus and Harry. "You mean you didn't tell him," he asked curiously, looking pointedly at the ex-professor. The brunette perked up at that, staring accusingly at Severus.

Pressing his lips together, Severus nodded. "I received a position at a well-known, very large apothecary close to London. They needed a Potions Master and they hired me while you were still unconscious in the hospital. After you woke up it never seemed like a good time to tell you and then it finally slipped my mind that you hadn't known."

"I see…" Harry stood, taking his plate with him. He hadn't meant to take what he'd said about working with kids to heart but he suddenly felt very young in the eyes of both of his lovers. He tossed out the rest of his food and quickly washed his plate before turning for the stairs. "I'll be in the library," he told them curtly. He only really walked up a few steps before Severus stopped him, wrapping one arm around his waist and pressing his hand to his forehead.

The hot breath on the back of his neck made shivers run down his spine and he breathed heavily when those long fingers slid through his unruly locks, leaning against the hard chest of his oldest lover with relief. He wasn't sure what the relief was for, but his body suddenly felt very light. "Are you feeling well, Harry? You've been acting strangely for a few days."

Harry nodded. "Yeah…I'm okay. I guess it's now just settling in that I'm not going back to Hogwarts," he told him, lying slightly when he finally pulled away.

"Hey, Harry, the mail just came. Granger sent something for you," Draco interrupted, biting his lip as he handed him the letter. Thanking him the brunette took the envelope and turned back towards the stairs excusing himself to go lay down. Before he got very far though Draco stopped him again. "While we were on the subject of jobs, I wanted to let you know I got one too. It's in the Department of Transportation at the Ministry of Magic." He grinned brightly in hopes of lighting the mood. "I get to test broom speeds and check enhancements on a daily basis."

Harry smiled as well, congratulating him. Then he excused himself again and turned back upstairs. When he was in the library he glanced briefly at the letter he was holding and let out a large sigh. He ripped open the top and briefly read the quick invitation, a slow smile creeping over his face as he did so.

"Anything good," Severus asked, sitting down beside him and handing him a glass of water.

Taking it with a quiet thank you, Harry handed him the paper and took little sips as he watched those black eyes shift back and forth over the words. "I-I don't suppose you'd be able to come with me," the brunette asked nervously, grasping the glass in his hands tightly enough to crack it. Much to his dismay though, Severus shook his head.

"We have to lie low still or people will know we were together while you were in school," he explained.

Harry nodded, slipping the paper out of Severus' fingers and giving it another glance. "They're getting married," he sighed. "I knew it would happen…but they didn't even tell me. Ron had to have proposed to her sometime during school if invitations are already coming out though…."

Slipping an arm around his waist, Severus held his young lover close to him, kissing the top of his head and knotting his fingers through the loose strands. "Things were pretty crazy for you towards the end of the year though. I'm sure they wanted to tell you, but the chance never came up."

The words didn't make him feel any better. If anything they made a giant rock settle in his stomach and he quickly pulled away, standing up to move towards the door. "Yeah…that seems to happen a lot," he ground out bitterly through his teeth. He hadn't even meant to say it and his own words shocked him, but somehow they actually made him feel better when he glanced back and saw Severus look away in guilt. It didn't make him feel good to know he'd hurt him, but he doubted the same thing would be happening again anytime soon.

B R E A K

Harry Potter was bored. There was no doubt about that. He was straight-out, completely and utterly bored out of his mind and the worst thing about it was that he couldn't even leave. Of course, he also knew that if this wedding had come before Draco and Severus entered his life being bored probably never would've crossed his mind. Nothing actually crossed his mind before his two lovers had saved him from his untimely depression and somewhat obsessive nature that he would die at Lord Voldemort's wand without a fighting chance. Sadly enough, he was also kind of wishing that he was still numb about everything at this very moment because then he wouldn't be watching all of his friends dancing and laughing together at his two best friends' wedding while he was stuck on the sidelines watching in solitude.

It was three weeks after he'd gotten the letter from Hermione announcing the big day and he'd done everything humanly possible, even gotten down on his knees in front of Severus and Draco and begged with well rehearsed tears in his eyes that at least one of them would go with him. They could even stage a fight if they wanted to leave early. Harry had lost…..disastrously. Not only did neither of his two lovers agree to come even at the promise of an early leave but he felt like he'd also lost his humility just because of his desperate attempts. Now, along with the thought they were keeping something from him, he had to wonder if they if they thought lowly of him from the act.

Another young lady fitted in a lovely blush pink dress tiptoed her way over to him. Harry never thought in all his life that he'd ever be able to categorize girls, especially at a wedding, but he was shocked that he knew at least two different types of girls: the shy kind and the bold kind. So far he'd been approached by at least three of the latter type. They'd come straight at him from the front with a determined expression, along with a few twinkles in between their eyes from how hard they must've been telling themselves to keep one foot in front of the other and not embarrass themselves. This girl along with several others that Harry had lost count of, were the much more common shy type of girl at the wedding. They would sneak up from the sides and sometimes behind and stand about a foot away from him blushing madly. Somehow he preferred the bolder type to the shy type (the former tended to begin conversations for him instead of him playing the nice gentleman before sending them on their way) and Harry wondered if that was because neither Severus nor Draco were very shy about things they wanted. Heck, he remembered at least seven different occasions where he'd been woken up because one or both woke up in the middle of the night from a hot dream and were too eager to wait on trying it out.

"Are you enjoying the party," Harry asked, turning to the bright eyed young lady as she blushed heavily at his gaze. Draco had told him once that if he tried hard enough with his emerald greens that he could probably even make him cum in his pants with the right look and his 'sexy bed voice'.

Looking away from him, sneaking only short quick glances his way, the girl nodded. He noticed she fisted her hands into her dress tightly with nerves and felt very bad that she must've mustered every ounce of courage she had just to come over to stand beside him. Was he that hard to approach? Maybe when he was still depressed, but he thought he was much more welcoming now.

Smiling cheerfully, Harry tried again. "I don't believe I've seen you at Hogwarts before. What's your name? I'm Harry," he said, offering his hand.

With a smile that really made her glow, the girl took his hand and shook it. "I'm Lilah," she replied and Harry immediately recognized the accent was the same as Fleur Delacour's, who was happily dancing with her own Weasley husband. "I'm one of Fleur's little sister's friends. She introduced me to Ginny…"

"I see, you're very lucky, Lilah. Ginny's a good friend of mine too."

Blushing heavily again, Lilah turned away and tried to hide her flush with her small hands. "Um…would you…wouldyoudancewithme?" She'd rushed the words out so quickly that Harry was left standing there like an idiot for a few seconds before the question dawned on him.

This is where he always ended up hurting the girls, but he certainly had lots of practice after turning down so many in one day. Something told Harry though that no matter how gentle he was, Lilah would definitely be in tears. "I'm sorry," he whispered, trying to look as though he truly wanted to dance with her. "I'm very honored, really." Too late. There were already tears in her big blue eyes, but he had to commend her for actually staying put for him to finish. "I'm afraid I'm a very poor dancer and your feet would be the one to suffer from that."

"I'm sorry," she squeaked out, trying her best to hold in her tears. She gave him a quick nod of the head, excused herself, and then hurried away much faster than she had trying to approach him.

With a tired sigh Harry rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes as he did. That wasn't true at all. He'd been told he's actually a very good dancer….when he put the effort into it. Good thing the Patil twins didn't know about that for that Yule Ball in their fourth year though. He feared for his life if they ever figured it out too. And, by the looks of things when he peaked through the black fringe of bangs, Ron had improved as well. He'd never seen his best mate look so happy. Even his freckles seemed to be glowing. Sadly, the reason he was declining all the requests to dance was actually because he was feeling heavily bitter about this whole experience. In Harry's mind all he could think about was the fact that dancing was involved with the wedding. Once again there was dancing and yet again neither of his lovers were at his side. He supposed it seemed a bit girly to want to dance with one of his men and get depressed over it when it didn't happen, but hell if he was going to be gay _and_ bottom most of the time than he was allowed some girlish qualities and he'd be damned if anyone was going to tell him otherwise.

A shadow fell over his sun and Harry cracked open his eyes to look into a very red-faced Ginny Weasely, done up in a lovely shade of yellow dress and curled red hair.

"Something wrong," he asked, having an inkling feeling about what this was about. He sat up straighter so he could take his predicted punishment.

"You made Lilah cry," the redhead accused, hands on hips and looking very much like a younger version of her mother. That thought made a shiver run down his spine. He knew all too well how Molly Weasley could've put fear even into the Dark Lord if she'd been faced with him. "You lied to her."

Harry shrugged. "I don't feel like dancing," he explained. "Would you rather I have said that instead of coming up with something slightly gentler?"

The Weasley daughter didn't seem to like that very much at all and her fists clenched tightly at her side. "You could've accepted," she offered. "I invited her here because everybody thought you two would get along."

A smirk curved upward on Harry's face as he realized why so many young ladies seemed interested in him today. "Why, Miss Weasley, you didn't happen to invite all these extra female guests in hopes of setting me up with one of them, did you?"

The angry flush on her face shifted to an embarrassed one and Ginny sat down in the empty seat beside her former crush. "You just seem so lonely whenever we see you. You didn't want to give me a chance so I thought I wasn't your type so we just…you know…brought in a bunch of different types."

There was an uncomfortable pause between the two of them before Harry couldn't contain it and he snorted in his hand just before he actually started to laugh. Ginny stared at him with shock but the chuckling was much too contagious and she soon found herself joining with him despite all the stares they were receiving. When he could finally control himself again, Harry removed his glasses and wiped his eyes, still chuckling every now and again, shaking his head. "I appreciate the gesture, Gin, but I really don't need any help with my love life."

"But you're never with anybody," she complained. "You could have anyone you wanted and yet you -."

"Have exactly who I want," Harry finished for her, smiling brightly.

There must've been something in his expression because she stared for a while and then a sparkling grin spread out on her face excitedly. "Really, Harry? Who?"

He leaned over to whisper in her ear, honestly debating whether or not to trust her, but he opted not to since, lovers or not, they would probably kill him if they ever found out. "It's a secret," he cooed to her.

"Oh, you," Ginny joked, pushing his shoulder roughly and looking put off that he hadn't actually told her anything. "Come on, for real, Harry," she begged.

He did feel bad that he couldn't say anything, especially when he himself trusted her not to say anything. Harry also knew that Draco and Severus didn't want their relationship out just yet though so he'd go along with it for now. "Sorry, Gin," he replied, shaking his head. "We…want to keep a low profile for a while longer. You know, just to let the whole Voldie business drop. They don't really want a lot of attention on them and I promised to respect that."

The redhead nodded, brightening up at the excuse. "Well, that's good then. At least you know she isn't using you for your fame if she's asking for that."

Harry could hardly push back the urge to correct her, but he managed somehow. He spoke with her for a while longer before she finally stood up and stretched. Kissing him on the cheek she grinned, waved her slim finger at him, and said, "But I will meet her soon, right?"

"Of course," Harry promised, _And boy will you surprised_ he finished in his head.

An hour later, close to four o'clock, Harry finally had to excuse himself and make his way to the exit. As he did an older lady stopped him and he feared that Ginny hadn't just brought younger ladies to try courting him.

"Harry Potter," she asked unnecessarily. She only waited for his brisk nod before she smiled brightly and offered her hand. "I'm Dana Skates, I work at the same department as Miss Grang….Mrs. Weasley's…Hermione." At another nod from Harry she continued. "Sorry, I won't keep you long. You know where Hermione works, am I right?" This time she didn't wait but continued with only Harry's stares to keep her going. "I'm second head in the editorial and publishing offices in London and my boss has been dying to get in contact with you." Here she handed him a card with the address and all the necessary information. While Harry glanced at it she continued. "She…well, mostly I, was wondering if you would like to write your adventures during school for us. We understand if you want to have some time for yourself but please feel free to give it some thought and if you think it's not for you than no harm done in asking right?"

As Harry said his goodbyes and thank you to this new woman he couldn't help but think to himself _Now there's a perky type too…_

B R E A K

Harry's day might have been considered a very good day despite how down he was being if it had been for the finishing touches that made his bitterly sour mood from not being able to dance with who he wanted to utterly depressed and the kind of day you wished you would've just slept through instead of experiencing. That final icing on his burnt and deformed cake was the hand-written note to him waiting innocently enough on the kitchen table. Severus and Draco had been invited _together_ for dinner at the Malfoy estate.

"So they can go places together, but they can't be seen with me? Talk about a fair relationship," he grumbled, crumbling up the note and glancing through the fridge to see what he could create for a light meal. With nothing much in the way of a quick dinner and his dampening mood already worse, Harry decided he'd skip dinner and probably taking a very long, scalding bath that burnt off his first layers of skin before finally going to bed.

Passing by the hallway he glanced briefly at himself in the full length mirror that made the room seem so much bigger than it really was. Did he always look so down before? Before he continued up the stairs he met his dark green eyes and it felt as though his own reflection were answering the numerous questions he feared too much to even question in his mind, but rather pushed back and forced to ignore.

_"You want a fair relationship, Harry? They're Slytherins for one thing and you're the odd one out. What kind of lion belongs in a snake's hole anyway?" _The reflection even took on a bit of a smirk in Harry's eyes that made the teen back off a bit until his back hit the stair railing. _"They were already together when you pushed your way in. Already wanting to live together before you even entered the picture?" _

Tears burned behind his eyes but Harry pushed them away through will alone. "Did they…get tired of me?"

The green eyes staring back at him seemed to darken and Harry actually cowered at his own reflection, seeing but not seeing himself in the replica. _"Let's face it, Harry, if snakes and lions belonged together than would they look and act so very different from each other?" _

"No…I…I guess not," Harry admitted, looking away while wrapping his arms around him tightly.

Before his one-sided conversation with his reflection could continue he heard the roar of the fireplace as the floo network was opened. The image in front of him shifted back from his imagination to reality and he stared at his cowering form and scolded himself before straightening up to go meet Severus and Draco, who had just slid into the living room with a loud curse.

Ice blue eyes met green as Severus helped Draco up and he grinned brightly, rubbing his bum as he stood up. "Harry, you're back," he exclaimed, causing ink black eyes to turn his way as well and the expression on Severus' face softened.

"We weren't expecting you until later this evening," Severus explained.

"It's a good thing Sev decided to leave a note just in case then, huh," Draco insisted, hurrying over to him and enveloping him in a tight hug and a simple kiss to his cheek. "How was the wedding," he asked politely when he pulled away, though Harry knew he wasn't really interested. That fact was proved when Harry didn't answer and the question didn't come up again.

Instead Harry feigned a headache, which wasn't far off from the truth after his confrontation with…well…himself. He shivered as he glanced at the mirror even though it wasn't acting differently. The only thing he was going to miss out on was his scalding bath but after the mirror he wasn't sure he wanted that anyway. He tended to think too much when he was in a predicament where he should be in relax mode. No, instead, he went to bed early in hopes that all of his uneasiness was gone or at least mostly gone before he even woke up tomorrow.

_I think I should take a Harry day and hope everything gets better_ he told himself while climbing the stairs again, purposefully avoiding eye contact with himself in the mirror. He fingered the card Dana had given him shortly before he left._ Maybe even take the writing job so I'm not stuck waiting for things to come up _Harry told himself just as he slipped underneath the warm covers and closed his eyes.

B R E A K

Things had seemed to shift back to normalcy after the wedding. The suspicions that Harry had been hanging on towards Severus and Draco had faded with time. All three were now working and had gotten into a comfortable routine eating breakfast that Severus makes and then Draco and Harry alternate on dinner before having some quiet time and then heading to bed at the late hours. Somehow though, a month after Ron and Hermione's wedding, things seemed to shift from comfortable and normal to incredibly painful and awkward and Harry couldn't place how it happened. What started it wasn't anything big at all, he later recalled, but something so trivial and pointless that Harry actually was continuously wondering about it.

He had just finished up his first novel involving Professor Quirrel and the legendary Sorcerer's Stone that Dana had been cracking whips at his back for since he agreed to writing for her, ahead of schedule he was pleased to admit. Draco had walked into the kitchen just as Harry was slipping the eight-hundred pages into a leather-skinned envelope to send her way when he was inevitably sliced with a paper cut.

Draco hadn't noticed at first and, at such a small injury, Harry hardly flinched. Heck, he'd imagined even worse than that, it was just a lousy little paper cut. His fingertip beaded up with the blood and it dripped carelessly onto the marble countertop as Harry looked around for spare paper towels to clot it with. He would've used the sink but Draco was in the way and marble cleans up easily enough anyway. However, when the drips formed a small little pool on the marble that's when Draco shifted his head and noticed it. He followed the dripping up to the sliced fingers and froze, almost shouting when he said his name, nearly shaking him when he touched the hand to see how bad it was, and then he ran from the room.

Harry was thoroughly confused at his point. He looked from the barely there puddle to his finger and just had to scratch his head at this one. After everything Draco had been through in his life you wouldn't think he had a fear of blood. He shrugged and continued his search for the elusive paper towels when Severus walked in calmly enough despite his raised eyebrow as he glanced at his finger. Did Draco seriously get Severus to help him with a simple paper cut?

"Is Dray alright," Harry asked, chuckling as he checked under the sink instead, sighing when there was only cleaning potions marked with bold letters.

"Fine enough," Severus insisted, taking Harry's hand and running it under lukewarm water and then using a Kleenex to blot it before sealing the cut with some special goo he'd pulled out of his robes. Then he busied himself with wiping off the counter silently before running his fingers through Harry's hair and kissing him lightly before going back to wherever he was before.

_That was…odd_ Harry had to remark, if only to himself. He hadn't even been scolded for getting blood all over the counter in his mission for some paper towels. Of course, Harry would later almost cut several half moon shapes into his palms from his fingernails when he later discovered some paper towels in the cupboards in the laundry room.

Odd would become the most forefront word in Harry's mind after the events that unfolded later and then, of course, complete hurt in betrayal in his mind. Then he'd wished he cursed the damn paper cut to begin with, blaming it all on a little half inch slice into his finger from parchment that didn't want to slide nicely into the envelope.

B R E A K

Harry's feeling a bit out of sorts when he wakes up one morning, several days after the paper cut incident, and neither Draco nor Sev are in bed, not even rummaging around in the room. Confused, and feeling disoriented that he didn't wake up when they moved, he gets up to go look for them. After inspection of the house it seems as though Draco had already left for work and Sev was in his private labs, a threat to be messed with when he was busy working away.

On the table in the kitchen is his plate with a warming spell placed on it along with a quickly scribbled note telling him 'good morning'. He was even more disgruntled when he traced his fingers along the wording and felt the tingle of magic underneath that told him it wasn't even a handwritten note which meant whoever wrote it, most likely Draco by the style of writing, had been in too much of a hurry to grab a pen or a quill. He hated magic notes. They just felt so impersonal and slightly distancing to Harry. The note alone caused Harry to drop carelessly into his seat at the table and stare at the warmed food of eggs and toast dejectedly, already knowing it was going to be a lousy day. He overslept, didn't get to see either of his lovers, he didn't feel like writing today which meant Dana was going to bitch at him for being lazy even though he knew she didn't really mean it, and it was his turn for dinner and he had no clue what to make since he didn't feel like looking through the pantry or the fridge at the moment. "Fan-bloody-tastic," he muttered, poking at the eggs and watching the yolk ooze over and soak into the bread.

He glanced up at the clock every now and then, debating on whether he should go into the office and face the evil editor of his, who loved the stars out of him and who he loved back just as much even in the short time they've known each other, or if he should just crawl back into bed and wait for the national wizard guard sent to him by said editor to come for him. She'd already sworn to do it to him three times now if he showed up late again. Of course, he wasn't sure how to start off the next novel because Dobby could be described in so many different words…a page filled with every descriptive word and half of them probably weren't very nice words too. He didn't want to risk it in case the house elf in question ever decided to pick up one of those books and see what Harry had to say about him.

Harry opted for his third option. He wrote out a quick note on the pad of paper on the counter and floo-ed it through to Dana, telling her he was busy writing away at home and that he thought he was coming down with something and didn't want to spread it through the office and half of London while he was at it. That was sure to keep her away. Sure enough, not ten seconds later there was a reply note that told him to get some rest and she hoped he felt better soon.

Now with no work to worry about for the day Harry poured himself tea after cleaning off his uneaten food and putting away his dishes and then headed for the porch swing calling diligently to him from around the corner. He paused at the closed door to the lab and sighed, feeling very lonely that he didn't get to see his two lovers that morning. It always seemed to make his day that much easier and so much better if he got to see them first thing in the morning rather than his evil-incarnate editor, especially when he was supposed to be starting a new novel soon.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he figured Sev wouldn't be bothered if he really didn't have to stop, just so he could tell him good morning at least. He slipped inside silently and down the magically un-creaky wooden steps to the basement that Severus and Draco had both worked on to turn it into a fully functional lab for the Potions Master. Harry bitterly remembered how he'd been told not to help since he might break or ruin something. He coughed as politely as he could, making sure to stay three steps away from the ground floor and precisely an arm and a half's length away from the nearest shelf so he wouldn't accidently ruin anything even by looking at it.

Severus looked up, scowling, and Harry immediately felt bad for disturbing him. "You're up," he noted grimly before turning back to the five cauldrons he had going on at once. He stirred something in the third one and quickly added something that was wriggling profusely into the second before pausing. "I hadn't realized you didn't leave yet."

"Yeah…uh…I kind of slept in. Sorry." Truthfully, he had no reason to apologize. When he'd looked at the clock earlier it had dawned on him that he hadn't slept in at all. In fact, he was right on time. It was Severus and Draco who'd woken up early and started their day at least an hour ahead of their normal schedule.

The Potions Master only grunted as he concentrated on changing the temperature on the fifth cauldron while simultaneously stirring the fourth.

Harry shifted on his feet, biting his lip and wondering if it was a mistake to bother his older lover. "Um…I just wanted to let you know I was given the day off so I'll probably be doing some housework. So….work hard and have a good day and if you need anything I'm here. It's my turn for dinner so if you have suggestions…" Merlin, when did he become so insecure? Oh, that's right. That damn paper cut somehow made things so awkward he wasn't even sure how to talk to either of his lovers anymore. How do you even start bringing up a conversation about a little cut in your finger and what it has to do with the current state of things? That's just stupid.

"Don't bother," Severus snapped, pulling Harry from his thoughts. It was a bite from the king of rattlesnakes and Harry unconsciously backed up another step, immediately hating himself for feeling this way.

_I shouldn't have come down here and bothered him when he's so busy _Harry berated himself. "Sorry," he asked quietly, looking up at Severus again, knowing that he missed what was said completely.

Sighing with a horrible, uncharacteristic grunt at the end, he looked up while continuously stirring something in the first cauldron that was now giving out a very faint floristic scent. "Don't bother about dinner tonight, I said." Harry nodded, hating the annoyed glint Sev was sending his way and he backed up another step.

It was tempting to ask. Almost too tempting. But Harry held himself and nodded. "Oh," he said stupidly. "Okay….well…house work calls," he blurted out quickly and then rushed up the stairs. It hurt him just a little bit that when he turned back briefly to close the door Severus hadn't even looked up after him from his hasty departure. The sting of tears was inevitable and this time he didn't bother trying to push them back. Who was going to see anyway? Everyone he thought was close to him suddenly wanted to hurry their schedule up by an hour. And what had just happened in there? He just felt so…brushed off. Draco too. He always left enough time to do things perfectly so why the magical note all of a sudden? As he was heading outside to the porch swing with his tea Harry couldn't help but wonder why the both of them had started an hour early anyway.


	2. Furthering Distances

Several hours later Harry sauntered into the living room and collapsed onto Draco's favorite overstuffed chair, hiding his face in the armrest. He'd done nothing all afternoon except sip his tea, give himself a headache thinking about his two lovers, then try to distract himself trying to think of a new beginning for his next novel. That all went to failure though when his thoughts kept dragging him back to Severus and Draco. He couldn't help but wonder what the heck was going on. Had he done something wrong and they didn't want to say? Were they really getting tired of him? If that were true than why had they even invited him to live with them?

These questions and several more had dominated Harry's thoughts for hours. Constantly playing and replaying over in his head and causing several tears to well up in his eyes only to get pushed back. Now, with a raging headache and itchy eyes, he forced himself to the topic of his next book. Dana would be furious after a while if he couldn't think of anything. Even if it turned out horrible at least she couldn't accuse him of slacking….right? That would be verbal abuse for sure and then she'd threaten to take drastic measures if he didn't get his act together. He hadn't known the lady for very long but he was more than certain that something like that would come out if he went back to work without at least a paragraph written down or possibly an outline.

Massaging his stiff neck to the best of his ability, Harry lifted his head out of the comfort of the armrest cushion and let out a long, heavy breath. That's when he saw it and he groaned with annoyance. In front of his view was the doorway to the kitchen and a very good view of the sink, which he hadn't noticed when he washed his own dishes. There were two plates sitting on the counter off the dry rack where his own single plate was and they had that certain gleam to it that Harry was wishing he was wrong about. Rolling off the sofa lazily he made his way back into the kitchen, waving his hand above the two plates and he grimaced. These two plates, just like Draco's note, had magic cast on them. Turning, he started to run the water to hot again and ran both plates on the steaming rinse before piling soap on it and scrubbing fiercely. As much as Harry hated his uncle and aunt for the horrible way they treated him he couldn't help the fact that, after trying it both ways, he definitely preferred the Muggle way of cleaning dishes. There was just something about the food that had some weird magical aftertaste if it was cleaned by the means of a wand. It wasn't until after he'd set both plates next to his own already dry plate on the rack that it occurred to him that both plates had the same magical signature on them.

"They ate breakfast together," Harry whispered, clenching his hand tight enough to almost shatter the plate in his hand. He relaxed himself and forced his hand to let go before doing any damage. "But I always wake up before Draco…does that mean Severus woke him up early on purpose and avoided me…?" That thought almost made him break though and he quickly discarded it. He shouldn't be feeling so self-conscious but right then he honestly couldn't help it. He wrapped his arms around himself and walked up the stairs the library, closing his eyes as he past the mirror just in case his mind played further tricks on him.

B R E A K

Harry woke several hours later, the library considerably darker than when he first nodded off to a book that had long ago fallen out of his lap and onto the floor with bunched pages. Rubbing his eyes, he set the book on the table beside the love seat and stretched, several bones in his back popping at once. As he meandered out of the room lazily he glanced at the clock and decided he should make dinner soon. That's what made him pause in the doorway and he wished he'd just stayed asleep. Severus had told him not to bother with dinner. He hadn't said just for him, but after seeing the breakfast plates out earlier he figured it was safe to assume that Draco also wouldn't need dinner that night. Fingers clenching tightly enough to pop at his sides, Harry quickly moved down the stairs and glanced into the kitchen. Sure enough, two plates were sitting out already magically cleaned.

He hadn't even started the laundry like he'd planned to but he was already annoyed with the dishes. Was a few minutes really going to kill them to wash their own dishes? Hardly. As he was turning to go back up the stairs, his appetite diminishing once again at the thought of his two lovers eating without him on purpose again, he spotted Draco's work cloak with the broom insignia on the breast pocket hanging on the stand in the living room.

_Draco's home_ he thought, eyebrows coming together. Both were home and he hadn't seen either of them yet. He didn't count the short encounter with Severus. That had to have been bad timing or a fluke to get nearly thrown out by the cold vibes sent his way….Harry doubted it. Severus hated to be interrupted and he hated even more to be interrupted by someone who would probably break stuff by looking at it. _Harry bloody Potter doesn't know how to be careful in a potions room. Woopty-Flippin-Wizard. He could've said 'good morning' at least. Then he wouldn't be at fault for making it feel like my relationship with them was going down the drain. _

Before leaving the kitchen Harry peaked into the lab room and sure enough all the lights were doused. Had Harry missed them going down the stairs. He didn't hear anything going down the hall, but his thoughts were loud enough in his own head that he could've missed them. Suddenly feeling shy and unsure, Harry tip-toed up the stairs this time, staring pointedly at each step, and moved down the hallway. The library came before the bedroom so he did wonder if they just hadn't noticed him or if they wanted to let him sleep. The way things were turning out Harry was feeling pessimistic enough to go with the third option: they hadn't bothered looking for him. The closer he came to the bedroom the more shredded his bottom lip became as he chewed on it. He definitely heard sounds now and he knew those kinds of sounds very well.

The door was cracked open just a peep and when he glanced through he jerked back almost just as fast, panicked and wary not to make any noise as he shifted further away from the door. He had wanted to curse…but he forced his mouth to stay shut even when he glanced through the crack just to make sure. But there were no lies or misunderstandings for this one. Harry saw it with his own eyes as well as the evidence. Severus and Draco were both in the room. Both on their bed. Both very much enjoying themselves without Harry's company. He backed away from the door, stepping into the library and closing the door while pressing his palms to his eyes. Even now he heard Draco's moaning when he didn't want to. And Severus' sexy bed voice telling him all sorts of arousing things. He hated that he had to be so curious. He hated that he doubted them like this. And he hated that he'd gotten turned on just by the few seconds of Severus pumping into Draco's smooth, warm, inviting body while the pale blonde panted and writhed on the sheets…_No!!!_

Harry forced his thoughts away, trying to understand what could've just happened. His tears fell now, faster than he could've thought they could and this time no matter what he did he couldn't make them stop. His shirt just continued to soak them up but his will to stop them had been crushed. He'd done his part of being strong and trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. Who cares that he was savior of the wizarding world? Harry certainly didn't. Before he could even try thinking of saving all those lives that would've been lost, his own life had to be saved first. Who saved his life? The very two people who probably had the most reasons to stay away from him, the same two men that were currently entwined so tightly that Harry couldn't have pointed out where one began and the other ended even if he'd gotten closer. Severus and Draco were all Harry ever had, they were his whole world. But apparently the same couldn't be said from them. They had each other long before Harry came in…just like his reflection had told him. He was just some toy for them and they'd gotten bored but didn't know how to break it to him. They'd done their part in helping to rid the world of Voldemort and they no longer had to make sure Harry wasn't so ripped apart from reality.

Sure, there were times when Severus and Draco wanted some alone time just like one or the other had wanted their alone time with Harry. _When was the last time that happened _Harry wondered. However, what was the difference between this time and all the other times. Harry was surprised he knew the answer to that one. It was the only question he could answer on his own and he hated that it was actually the easiest one. All those other times it happened they would let the third member know so they wouldn't feel like the other two were going behind his back. Why? For exactly this reason. Harry's knees were too weak to support him and he crawled into a little corner and hid his face, rocking back and forth. They hadn't said anything about wanting to be alone together. Sure he was asleep but they still could've woke him up or wrote him a note. _Even a magical one would've been okay!_

It took nearly ten minutes for Harry to calm down and almost another five before his breathing was evened out. He forced himself to think clearly but even that was causing him problems. Next to Severus he was probably the most clear-headed of the three of them but sometimes, this one included, he couldn't help but want to pull his hair out by the roots and scream for someone to listen to him. _Maybe it was a spur of the moment kind of thing_ Harry told himself, clenching and unclenching his fingers to keep from doing what he wanted right now. _But why didn't they make dinner for me if they were just going to eat here anyway? _Sure he didn't eat the breakfast they left for him but they had no way of knowing that unless they had monitoring spells on him_. But that should give them all the more reason to force me to eat dinner…_

No. There was no other way to think of it except that they were trying to hide something from him. That was certainly what it seemed like from his point of view. But what could be so horrible they wouldn't want to tell him? If it was something he did they should just say so and get it over with. It wasn't going to get any better until they did after all. There was no other way that Harry could look at it then something was terribly off about their once comfortable trio and, though he hated to admit it, his welcome was no longer a warm one. That thought just made the room blur with another row of tears.

It seemed like hours later to Harry when the flush from his sobbing had rinsed from his face and the bedroom door creaked open with the shuffling of his two lovers' footsteps. The room was certainly darker than the last time he had a clear look of it, but that didn't mean anything. Sunset had already begun when he woke up so it couldn't only be about forty minutes before the room was turned black.

Tensed and a bit embarrassed about what he would say if they asked what he was doing on the floor, Harry scurried over to the love seat and flipped over the book he was reading to somewhere in the middle just as the door to the library creaked open. The light from the hallway flooded into the room and nearly blinded him. It was exactly the same time as when Draco said, "Merlin, Harry, how can you read in a room that's pitch black," that Harry realized the same thing.

"I…I was reading but I guess I zoned out. W-when did you get home?"

Draco grinned and sauntered over to him, swaying his hips in such a way that Harry swallowed, remembering his earlier hard-on and how much he hated it. Was it wrong to still want Draco even when the blonde himself didn't want him back possibly? Most likely. But would he ever grow tired of being seduced in the simplest of ways? Harry certainly hoped not. "Hey, you," Draco greeted, kissing his cheek and acting as though he hadn't asked his earlier question.

Harry couldn't help but wonder when this dream of his would end…._Sometime very soon, I'm sure _he told himself. The brunette kept trying to remind his heart and his head that his two lovers had started out together and had him join rather quickly. It was no wonder they might begin to regret such a rash decision. "Hi," he answered meekly.

"So what were you doing in here all by yourself," Draco asked curiously, leaning over the armchair to get a better look at the book. He grimaced lightly at the book and pulled away, never understanding Harry's fascination with fairytales and his want of reading every single piece ever written.

Now, if Harry were his usual self than his usual answering joke to such a dumb question would be, "Getting a manicure," in such a sarcastic tone that it sometimes bordered on nasty, not that Draco ever noted on it like Harry did. As it was, Harry was not feeling like his usual self because in a whole lot of fear at the moment that any second Severus or Draco would dump him like a stone and laugh. How else to prepare for it than to distance himself? He'd already done it once with them but that was pre-Voldemort's death. Now they might not even catch up on it. "Catching up on some reading," Harry shrugged, offering a bright and cheery smile no matter how fake it appeared.

Draco was immediately on guard and he stiffened noticeably while Severus' expression shifted from soft and relaxed to teacher-mode, complete with evil-wrinkle lines. "Are….you okay," the blonde asked carefully, straightening up and moving around the table so he could look the brunette in the face.

"Sure," Harry grinned, cracking his fingers to keep from fidgeting. _There's no way they could notice _he told himself. _There's no way they could notice. _"Just a long day and worried about what Dana will say if I go to work with nothing to go off of." It wasn't a lie…..not really. It just wasn't the actual cause of most of his pain. Both of his lovers knew how stubborn that woman could be so he could easily dump his excuses to her and neither party would know or have anything to do about it.

The blonde relaxed a little bit, but still stared pointedly at the Gryffindor's face. Severus however didn't believe it for a second and it was written all over his steely face. Before the older man could point it out though Draco took Harry's hand and gave it a light tug. "It's getting late," he argued, pouting when Harry didn't make any move to pull himself off the couch. Instead he sat down on the other side of him and lay his head in the brunette's lap. "Your eyes must be giving out on you. Especially if Dana was on your case."

The brunette shrugged, ignoring the fact that Draco had just stolen his glasses. With the light on in the hallway he could just barely make out where the Slytherin was by the fuzzy images he now saw, and that's only because his white-blonde hair reflected the light. If this were Severus he probably wouldn't know where to look if he wasn't lying right on him. "Not any more than usual," he finally answered, warily letting his fingers slip through the soft hairs and sighing in relief that Draco didn't pull away.

"Let's go to bed," Draco whispered, pulling away and Harry saw a very blurry hand put in front of his eyes. He immediately felt a sick churn in his stomach just thinking about being in that bed after what he witnessed earlier and what it might mean, but he pushed it down and smiled. He took the hand and let the blonde pull him up. "That's my good boy," he teased. "At least it's your day off tomorrow. You can rest all you want and be all set to go on Monday."

Harry nodded, watching his fuzzy feet shift back and forth as he consciously tried to not trip over his own feet. "Yeah," he replied quietly. Draco guessed that his lack of attention was because of his missing glasses, which were dangling on his fingers but instead of giving them back he hooked his elbow through Harry's and pulled him forward until they reached the door. Severus snatched the glasses from the blonde's grasp and leaned over just enough to push them back up on Harry's nose where he blinked owlishly into his face.

The ex-potions professor waved Draco towards the bedroom with a gentle smile, much nicer than the cruel look that had been on his face earlier that day. When he was gone Severus turned back to Harry and knotted his long fingers into the messy dark strands. "I'm sorry about this morning, Harry. I just -."

Shifting away in a way that could almost be considered a jerk, Harry moved just enough that they were no longer touching and effectively stopping Severus' apology. Even if he did feel this way he didn't want excuses to ease what pain might come later on. Everything was…or felt….so obvious to him now. Why the two began their day so much earlier without including Harry. Did they think he wouldn't understand just because he was still very new in the relationship when they were already a couple years into theirs? That was silly. What? People weren't allowed to hurt The-Boy-Who-Won's feelings or something? He was grown up enough to know that not all happy relationships turn out to be forever.

"It's okay, Severus," he interrupted, not missing the surprised look cross Severus' face. He couldn't blame him. Harry hardly interrupted anyone unless it was important. After all, he hated it when it was done to him so why do it to other people when it was downright rude. It went right up there with magically washed dishes. "I understand that you don't like…me down there, especially when you're working so hard." At first he was going to say 'people', but he changed it to 'me' instead. After all, he hadn't had a problem with Draco being down there moving his stuff around move-in day. So it had to be just him, right? Draco had been the prodigy in their class and the favorite….and that wasn't because he was in Severus' bed during school. That had all been talent on his part. Harry inwardly sighed and offered a tired smile, faking a yawn. "Let's go," he said. Not even his bruised feelings would let Severus say anymore.

In the bedroom Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from the bed for the longest time and he knew both of his lovers must be wondering what was going through his mind during the several minutes he stood in the doorway. All he could see when staring at the bed that was once one of his most favorite spots in the house was Severus and Draco holding each other in ways that he'd probably never get to experience again. He'd be damned if they were going to give a courtesy fuck before they let him go. If it was going to happen he was going to go out with at least some bit of his pride. So, he said the other thing he could think of that might let him get away with his odd behavior without getting found out about his second attempt at distancing himself. "Say, Draco, can I sleep on the end tonight?"

Both men looked up curiously from where they were straightening out the bed. They'd obviously made it up after they fooled around in it and Harry was certain that if he checked right then he'd feel the magic trace on it that told him they'd cleaned up with a wand again just like the dishes. No, he didn't really have a problem with sleeping on sheets that had been magically cleaned like he did with dishes. They tended to be softer than the fabric softener could do. All it would prove is that they probably woke up and cleaned in a hurry before deciding to go look for him. Severus and Draco had told him on numerous occasions before that they loved snuggling with Harry and that's why he would always be the sandwich when they go to bed. Severus would probably never say it aloud, but the blonde said it plenty for the both of them that Harry was the 'snuggle-bug', but he would also murder anyone would found out he said that and then personally castrate the one who let it out.

Harry already had his excuse ready and he smiled sheepishly and shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Since I had a slow day I'd feel better if I at least jotted some ideas down no matter how lame. I don't want to have to roll over you if something does happen to hit me." It wasn't the first time he'd done this though so both of his lovers accepted it easily. Just for show he put down some ink with a quill and some few pages of parchment, not really expecting to use it.

After the lights were dimmed and Draco was nestled up against Severus, already starting to doze from his early rise Harry was about to remove his own glasses and try the same. Just before he did though his eyes scanned the room out of old habits and he frowned when his green eyes caught sight of some of his clothes hanging haphazardly out of one of his drawers.

B R E A K

During the weekend it seemed like things during the previous week never even happened. Draco and Severus weren't acting as though they were hiding anything. In fact, it seemed more like while Harry was trying to jot out some rough drafts for the second book that one or both of them would go out of their way to try a make out session with him. Harry was beginning to think that one week was just some weird fluke or maybe he was even thinking too much into it.

As it would another odd thing set all of the events off again and this time Harry wasn't sure if he could handle it. He'd been staring at the mirror while Draco was preparing dinner, trying to figure out if the odd reflection talking back was just some weird, evil charm left on the mirror or if it had been his imagination. He decided to say it was just his depressed mood that made him think it had been talking horribly to him and shrugged it off, refusing to believe anything his eyes play tricks with anymore. Just as he was thinking that he was walking down the rest of the stairs to the kitchen door that had been swung shut and reached out to push it open when it swung right into his face.

The next thing Harry saw when he opened his eyes several seconds later was the ceiling and Severus and Draco's blurry faces looking down at him. "Are you okay, 'Ri" Draco asked, waving his hand in front of his face as his vision started to straighten back up.

"Y-yeah, I'm good," he said, lifting himself off the carpet and rubbing his nose. "I don't think I've ever walked into a door before," he admitted with an embarrassed snort.

Severus ran his fingers through his hair and helped him up the rest of the way. "My apologies," he offered. "I was coming to find you for dinner but it appeared you were already on your way."

"My bad," Harry blushed, rubbing the back of his neck with embarrassment. "Sorry."

After Draco had already turned to go back into the kitchen Harry finished standing up and wiping his bum off. When he stood back up he heard Severus' gasp and he looked at him quickly. "Harry, you're nose," he pointed and then grabbed his wrist. The blonde looked up and froze when he saw Severus leading Harry to the sink and he looked away with a hand over his mouth, slipping out of the room as quickly as possible. The brunette, however, did understand when Severus started running the water on the sink and his blood started to dye it pink and rush down the drain.

"Oops," he laughed, and then started splashing his face before Severus held out some tissues and told him to tilt his head back and go lay down for a while. During the time he was lying down though he definitely heard Severus and Draco speaking in hushed, quick voices upstairs and he was disappointed that he couldn't make out the words. He had a very nostalgic feeling though and it made him close his eyes and wish that whatever was going to happen it wasn't going to be bad.

After a very silent dinner Harry cleaned up the dishes and watched sadly as Draco tried to discreetly pull Severus from the room. He gave them a few minutes to go wherever they were going to hide to and finished up the dishes in a hurry before going to follow them. Sure enough when he peeked in the bedroom that Sunday night he watched as Draco and Severus snogged as though Voldemort would come back tomorrow morning and destroy everybody in his rage. As soon as their clothes started coming off Harry turned and moved to his home away from bedroom and pulled out another few pieces of paper to try and work. As he wrote he forced his mind to stay off the depressing topics of his two lovers and wondering why they were suddenly acting out behind his back rather than confronting him like they used to.

B R E A K

Harry slid out of the fireplace unceremoniously that next evening, hating his life, his job, and the very spot where he landed that made his bum ache worse than when Severus and Draco really didn't want to give him any breaks. As luck would have it, he couldn't even remember the last time they tried to pin him down other than those few quick make-out sessions he had over the weekend. As he moved up the stairs he noted Draco's cloak hanging on the rack and already knew what he'd find when he tried going to bedroom. He already knew if he asked them straight out the answer he got probably wasn't going to be one that made him feel a lot better. The longer he procrastinated on it the longer he'd be able to be with the both of them…at least until it broke him. That such a thing happened sooner rather than later just made it hurt all the worse. Just as he predicted the both of them were in the bedroom, this time Draco was pressed up against a wall. Probably if the blonde's eyes weren't glazed over with pleasure he would've seen Harry standing right there. It wouldn't have hurt anymore than usual until he started walking from the door and he heard Draco's breathy voice start to something other than, "Oh, Merlin, Sev!"

"Harry will….he'll be home soon," he groaned, wrapping his legs around the slim waist and locking his arms around his neck. The real kicker was when Severus afterwards made a very noticeable attempt to speed up his actions. Sickened, Harry pushed away whatever tears that were crawling up his eyes and instead of trying to work he hurried off to polish his broom instead.

It was only a short while later that Draco stepped outside and laughed. "I saw the soot all over the floor but I didn't know you came home."

Harry just hmp-ed at him and continued with the broom handle, not even looking at the blonde.

"Did you have a good day?"

Another hum but his hand started to move faster when he felt like hurting the other male for acting as though he wasn't doing anything behind his back.

"Say, we haven't raced brooms since we got here. Sev said he'd take care of dinner tonight since we didn't get to eat breakfast with you that one time. Wanna give it a go?"

He snapped. Harry glared up at Draco, eyes narrowed and the green flaring with anger. "I want to be alone," he growled out before turning back to his broom now visually angry. The brunette knew that he hurt Draco deeply but he disgustingly thought he and Severus both deserved it after their several acts of going behind Harry's back. What's the point in being in a relationship if they weren't going to communicate like normal couples do? _Maybe because we aren't a _normal _couple. We aren't even a couple per say. _

That night he didn't even go near the bedroom until he was certain both of his soon-to-be-ex-lovers were deeply asleep. He crawled into the space he'd now taken over on the edge of the bed where Draco usually slept (he sneered a Slytherin-worthy lip curl when he saw the blonde almost lying completely on top of Severus and he forced himself not to feel bad when he saw the dried tear tracks on his face) and set his wand for an hour before Severus woke up. If the two of them were going to shift around their schedules than he'd move his as well.

He left for work an hour and half early, as soon as he heard the Potions Master moving around the bedroom. Harry worked like crazy, both pleasing Dana as well as keeping his mind off the more depressing matters. Unlike usual he didn't leave when his editor did but rather stayed as late as possible. He even startled the janitor when he came in to start cleaning and he was still tapping away at his desk trying to get around his latest version of writer's block as well as cramps.

When he slid into the living room what he wasn't expecting was while mid-yawn for an anxious blonde to attack his chest, hugging him tightly and yelling at him so quickly he couldn't make out the words. Severus followed him a bit more discreetly but his expression gave away that he also wanted to throw himself at the brunette.

"You idiot," Draco shouted, the first clear words Harry heard from him. "Why didn't you send an owl or something if you were going to be late!"

He was going to answer honestly. He was just going to spill the beans and get it over with. He really didn't want to see the newest love mark bright and clear for Harry to see. Pushing Draco away roughly, the ex-professor was there to catch him, and Harry attempted to look exhausted as he apologized and hurried up the stairs to bed. Truth was he really was tired since he woke up early and went to sleep late the night before. Now more than ever it was really just to get away from the both of them and burn out the picture of the new hickey on Draco's skin from behind his eyelids.

Harry's new routine of leaving early and staying late had become his latest habit so much so that even Dana had mentioned her worry for him becoming a sudden workaholic. His only concern at the moment though was how his two lovers were taking it. After a whole week of trying to talk him out of it and exchanging worried glances over the breakfast table as well as several whispered mutterings between the two of them they had finally stopped talking to him completely about the subject of working too much. Whether they had given up or just adjusted to his new hours though Harry wasn't sure. Friday night when he returned home he was both relieved and disappointed to find they were no longer anxiously waiting for him to come home.

The same excuses still seemed to be working on them at least that writer's block was interfering as well as Dana never being completely satisfied with things that did come out. His editor accepted the writer's block excuse since, even after all the sudden hours he'd put in, there was hardly anything to show for it and Severus and Draco never spoke with Dana personally so they'd never find out it was Harry's choice to wait until midnight and sometimes one or two in the morning before returning home. "Slave driver," Harry joked when he slipped into bed once when he'd woken Draco up accidentally.

What he wasn't expecting was his unexpected sleep-in when all of his extra late hours finally backfired and made him crash until nearly noon the next day. During that time the floo was activated and a very surprised guest followed by more shocking discoveries were made. When Harry finally slipped out of bed and padded downstairs for a light breakfast he froze in the doorway when three heads turned to look at him unexpectedly, all filled with hurt, anger, and mostly betrayal.

"Dana," he greeted sleepily, already knowing his game was up and not really trying to hide it anymore. "You're up early for a day off."

Draco stood up first, hair in an uncharacteristic disarray from one too many run-throughs with his hand. It tended to be his habit when he was worried and it was doubly so now that some secrets were becoming unveiled. "You lied to us," he accused, voice almost too soft to even hear.

The brunette only shrugged, pouring himself some tea before walking out of the kitchen without another word. There were several steps that followed and before he could stop it his arm had been jostled and the cup slipped from his hand, shattered on the tile and hot tea splashed over him as well the floor and his surprised editor. "Was that really called for," he asked, raising an eyebrow at the distraught woman.

"Harry, you're really worrying all of us. You work for forever but you never get anything done. You're always so exhausted so I came here to find out what's been bothering you. I certainly wasn't expecting to be here so long but now I…I don't even know what to say. Why are you doing this to yourself?" She certainly didn't seem like her normal self in Harry's eyes. The strong, independent woman who even mafia lords wouldn't pick fights with was suddenly looking so fragile she might shatter just like his teacup.

Green eyes darkened to almost a dead black and Harry's stare turned on his two lovers, the sole reason for him suddenly acting so un-Harry like. "Why," he bit out. "If you'd just told me the truth from the beginning instead of hiding it I wouldn't even be feeling this way."

"W-we didn't know how you'd react," Draco admitted, shaking lightly as he pushed himself into Severus' side, who had yet to say anything.

"How would I react," Harry mocked, spitting the words out. "How did you think? You just started to keep everything from me and doing everything for yourselves! If you wanted me out of the picture you should've just said so!" Then he pulled his grip roughly from his editor's and stormed back up the stairs. As soon as he did Draco burst into tears and fled into the backyard and Severus was left wondering what had really happened. Nobody had really said anything about what happened. It's possible that Harry could've figured out what was going on, but based on what _was_ said he assumed it was safe to say that he only knows what he saw. That was the even bigger mistake.

The trio stayed separated for the rest of the day. Harry stayed locked up in the guest bathroom upstairs, Draco refused to come indoors, and Severus wasn't sure what to say to either of them without talking to the other about it first. That was exactly the problem though. He could say all he wanted but whether his two younger lovers were listening or would choose to say anything back was what made it all the harder.

When night finally took over and everything was dark in the house Draco migrated back in and slipped under the covers silently, hugging Harry's pillow tightly to his chest.

"Perhaps we should explain," Severus suggested, sitting down on the edge of the bed and watching the blonde carefully.

Draco quickly shook his head. "It's stupid," he cried into the pillow, hiding his face and refusing to let the other Slytherin touch him. "This is all stupid! There's no way he could understand because he's used to it! It's just one other thing that happens to him all the time so he doesn't see fit to worry about it now!"

"Which is exactly why we should try to explain it to him from our point of view, or at least yours since I'm used to it as well. But at least I know the difference between caring too little and caring too much. This is the first time it's happened to Harry since he's been with us. For him he might not understand the connection at all. How could he when you practically begged Dumbledore to not let him know?"

Ice blue eyes peered up from the pillow to glare at him. "He wanted to die from the beginning, Severus," he bit out. "If he knew how close he came…."

Severus nodded, looking away. He knew full well how much Harry had prepared himself to die facing the Dark Lord, how distant he could be about such things. He was exactly what everybody looked for in suicidal people and for Harry, just standing there facing Voldemort was enough of a plan to kill himself and he was just waiting for the inevitable. Only two people knew how close everybody in the world came to dying because one teenager decided to give up in hopelessness, but those same two people also knew the savior of the wizarding world was only a person and not an object to admire.

B R E A K

In the early morning hours the guest bathroom door finally creaked open and Harry padded down the hall into the master bedroom. He stared at the bed sadly, watching Draco sleep restlessly while holding his pillow tightly in his grasp. How many times had Harry been held down during the night because the blonde would sleep so soundly against him? Severus hadn't even crawled under the covers. He was still lying awkwardly on top of the comforter with his head nowhere near a pillow but rather using his arm.

Swallowing heavily Harry forced himself to the closet and he pulled out a few clothes and stuffed them haphazardly into his bag. Just on habit he snatched up some parchment and quills in case by some miracle his book decided it wanted to be written and he snuck from the room as quietly as possible, pleased and sad that neither of the two even stirred at his noise. He paused in the kitchen, biting his lip as he stared at the stack of post-it notes before the inevitable long sigh escaped him.

With a sense of revenge he zapped one of the notes with his wand, magically scribbling out in purposefully awful handwriting that he would be at Ron and Hermione's for a while. Afterwards though he just felt horrible and childish because of it, knowing how bad he felt when Draco had wrote a note magically to him. So he crumbled the first note up and tossed it behind him while he rewrote the message by hand and leaving in a flurry of robes.

B R E A K

Ron and Hermione were surprised by the sudden visit but no less happy to usher him in excitedly and make sure their Gryffindor trio was comfortable in the living room with tea and snacks.

"What's with the surprise visit all of a sudden," Hermione inquired, settling in next to her husband.

Harry shrugged, adding some sugar and stirring it absently. "I don't know," he lied, blowing out a puff of air tiredly. "Just lonely I guess." It was a punch in the gut about how true that one was though. Nobody knew he was dating two people at once, both happened to be men, and both all three of them had hated with a passion at some point. This whole time he'd been leading his two best friends to believe that he lived alone out in the country and had no interest in starting a romantic relationship.

"Well, of course, you can come here and work anytime you like, Harry," Hermione told him, pushing a plate of fresh biscuits towards him. "It's not like we don't enjoy your company."

Harry nodded, nibbling a bit on the warm bread before sighing and setting it down. Ron surprised him though by grinning and setting a hand on his shoulder. "Actually, I have to be honest with you, mate, you were really scaring me back in school." At his friend's curious look the redhead continued. "You just sort of dropped off the face of the earth and left your body behind for the ride. You were so out of it that I was just about to go to Dumbledore myself and demand him to do something since you seemed to disappear if one of us ever tried to get close to you."

The bushy-haired girl nodded, sipping at her own tea quietly. "And then one day you made a huge comeback that neither of us was sure what to make of it. You were smiling more than ever and had a glow around you that never seemed to diminish. Well, after a while, when you still never came to us, we had to assume that you'd found yourself some very lucky girl and you just wanted to hide her away from everybody secretly." She actually giggled at Harry's gob-smacked face as his hand went limp enough to nearly dump his tea all over the carpet. "Come now, Harry, we aren't stupid. We just assumed you didn't want anyone know that the famous savior had found himself some very special girl and we respected that. Now…now you just look so depressed. I hope nothing's happened."

Green eyes lowered to the light brown liquid swirling around in his cup and he sighed. "There was never a girl," he admitted quietly, though afterwards he refused to continue. True, both Severus and Draco had hurt him a great deal by covering up going behind his back. To him it was the same as cheating even though he knew it technically wasn't. They did break the rules they'd all agreed on though and that's what hurt the most. What was the point of setting those rules so nobody would get hurt if it just happened anyway? Harry knew about urges. The desperate kind that clawed away through his chest from the inside out when he would just look at one of the two while the other was away and just want to pin them down and have his way with him, but he'd always pushed it down at least long enough to let their third know. He was wrong to assume that the other two would be the same.

_How long_ he wondered. _How many times have they done this without letting me know? Or did they even plan on telling me? _He wasn't sure if it would make it better if they said anything about it or not, but he did like to assume that he was the kind of person who would forgive his lovers if they'd done something wrong as long as they owed up to it and confessed it at some point. But he had to draw the line somewhere, right? Sooner or later he would just have to admit to himself that he was just like every other person when it came to relationships: the first one usually didn't always work out perfectly. _There will be other people…I hope._ At this point at least he was seriously doubting he'd find anybody as special and as complete as Severus and Draco were. Maybe he'd do exactly as he's been telling everybody all along and live alone out in the country with a thousand wards set up so no one would be able to find him without him leading them there personally. _It would be the perfect place to hide. _

B R E AK

Black eyes drifted open and Severus wanted to groan at another day. _At least it's still the weekend _he told himself. But then he remembered the argument that had happened the day before. Usually weekends meant lounging around in bed for hours with his two gorgeous young lovers, but he knew that wouldn't be happening this time around. Today they would definitely have to patch up whatever misunderstanding that had occurred because he had already told himself a thousand times over that somewhere along the line of Harry finding out Draco and him were going behind his back and keeping secrets from him his sweet little brunette Gryffindor had missed the vital point. Of course, there was no way he could ever find out exactly what since Draco had been too scared to admit it.

The Potions Master figured maybe he could move things along faster and coax Harry out of the guest bathroom before Draco even woke up. That would certainly be progress in his eyes, a large step for everybody since then he could at least tell if his words were even being registered rather than just ignored. He shifted around on the bed and realized only then at what an awkward position he'd sleep. Shrugging it off he moved off the bed, but as soon as his feet touched the floorboards his gut felt heavy and for the first time in a long while he felt as though he were going to be sick. It was exactly the same way he felt when he woke up the day of the final battle and realized Harry was missing and he wasn't in the apartments. He feared for the worst and his feet ran him uncharacteristically down the hallway not even caring if he woke the blonde now and his stomach twisted painfully when he saw the bathroom door in the guestroom wide open. After a very quick search through the house he found the note on the kitchen table and he collapsed into one of the chairs weakly, Harry's chair he wanted to laugh at the irony of it, and held his face in his hands weakly. "Harry's gone," his voice cracked.

Draco stepped into the kitchen tiredly, still yawning. He already knew something was wrong as well and it had nothing to do with the way his older lover held himself as though he might fall over any second. As he passed by the chair he usually sat in he spotted a crumbled up piece of paper and knelt down to retrieve it. "He left us," he whispered sadly as he read the magically written note. Severus looked up as well, confusion crossing his features as he held up an identical note. Draco understood immediately though and guilt ate him through the inside of his stomach painfully. As soon as he'd picked up the paper from the floor he already felt the magic laced with the words and he felt horrible that he'd done the same to him. "Do you think he's mad at me," Draco wondered quietly, pushing the note to Severus knowing it would click with him too.

Severus looked between the two notes quickly and shook his head, slipping a hand through his hair. "It would be uncharacteristic of him to be so upset over something like this unless there was more involved. It's not just the note you wrote."

"But he found out," the blonde squeaked, holding his head in his hands as he fell into his chair as well, legs feeling like jelly. "He found out and now he's never coming back because we went against him like that. He's a Gryffindor, Sev! A real Gryffindor and he's all about loyalty! We broke the rules and he'll never forgive me!"

Long fingers clenched on his shoulder tightly and wet blue eyes looked up to meet hardened black. "No, Draco," Severus bit out, "It's impossible. Neither of us said anything and he hasn't had contact with anybody else from school except for that wedding. I'm sure he's upset about us breaking the rules and for that I understand, but I just know something else was eating him up before that." He looked down at the notes again and his eyes narrowed angrily.

Draco stood up so quickly that his chair clattered to the floor. He didn't even bother picking it up as he practically ran into the next room. Rashly, he grabbed his cloak off the stand and pulled it on as he was walking out the door only to be stopped by a hard grip to his shoulder just before he could apparate. He looked up desperately at his older lover and wanted to cry and hit his chest and demand to know why he was trying to be calm about it all when he loved Harry just as much as Draco himself did.

"Harry has made it perfectly clear by his own actions that he'd rather keep his social life and his private life separate. He hasn't even told his friends he's in a relationship even though we advised him not to say who. I hardly think Mr. Weasley and his wife know about us being so involved with Harry or that he'd be very happy with you for barging in."

Ice blue eyes hardened and his expression was clearly enraged, an emotion he hadn't shown to anybody in quite a while if the Potions Master remembered correctly. "I don't care," he retorted sharply. "Sev, something isn't right. We really hurt Harry. He must've had a really good reason for lying to us so much and making his life so much harder. He's been waiting ever since he found out what we were doing for us to confess about it and we disappointed him. We let him down and I don't want to end it like this!" By the end he was hysterical and Severus had to pull him into his chest, sitting down on the porch steps and rocking him gently in his lap." Seconds after he calmed down though he stiffened in the embrace and Draco pulled back enough to show Severus a panic stricken face. In a very soft, quiet voice he said, "Yesterday…it was…it was just like how he acted before," though he couldn't make his throat work around the words to say when he knew that Severus would understand." Relief flooded through him when Severus agreed on that line of thinking and he grabbed his own cloak as well. They both had come to the same conclusion: If what Draco felt was true, they had to act quickly before Harry wasted away to nothing but a shell of a person again, and this time he wouldn't want to be saved.

B R E A K

Harry was so in tune with Draco and Severus' magical signature that he jumped as soon as he felt them apparate into the area. Neither of his friends noticed the shift in their own wards since his two lovers had been trained from birth to mask their power, but it was impossible to do that when Harry had been around them constantly for the past several months. However, his friends did look up when Harry started to fidget from nerves, knowing he had nowhere to hide now. He was so hoping they would just leave him be in peace but having them here would only raise more questions than answers now.

When there was a firm, discreet knock on the door he clenched his fists onto each arm of the chair he was sitting in and he could do nothing more than bite his lip and pretend not to notice when Hermione gasped when she opened the door. Ron was immediately at her side, pushing the brunette behind him protectively when he saw who stood in their entranceway.

With a growl to his voice and sounding braver than he probably actually felt, Ron demanded, "What do you want?"

Draco started to speak, Harry was sure of it by the sudden 'ah' before Severus' smooth voice melted over his whole form and he hated how comfortable he suddenly felt. Harry ignored the twinge of annoyance he felt for one of his well known pet peeves of people being interrupted, knowing that the Potions Master was going to try getting Harry out of this house without alerting the two Weasleys about what was going on. Green eyes narrowed and he wanted to snort. The hell if that was going to happen. They couldn't do anything as long as they were guests in a house…right? His resolve was already weakening at the thought of causing his two friends problems and he curiously glanced over the back of the chair he was sitting in.

"Something important has come up the school and I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore has called for Mr. Potter's attendance," he heard the ex-professor sweet talk. "An owl wouldn't have been fast enough."

Ron glared, closing the door a bit so they wouldn't be able to see their target sitting just in the other room. Harry didn't think he would ever be able to thank his redheaded best friend enough for how hard he was trying to keep him out of sight. It was Hermione who cleverly pointed out, "I thought Harry had been declared free from his burden after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was destroyed. If it has anything to do with Death Eaters I'm afraid we can't let you take him."

_Well…_Harry told himself convincingly _that could work two ways if you think about it. It does have something to do with an ex-Death Eater___he mused. That would never work though and he knew it. Severus and Draco could be stubborn people and he hated to think about what would happen when one of them, Draco most likely, lost his temper and just forced his way in. Just as he was standing up to hand himself over he knew he hadn't been fast enough when he heard the without a doubt punch to the side of the house as Draco's legendary temper flared. _Too late…_

"Listen hear, Granger," Draco started, though Harry was half tempted to correct him he kept silent, "I don't care for your know-it-all attitude but we need to talk to Harry **now** so get the fuck out of the way before I blow your tattered shack into fire splinters!"

Rubbing his eyes tiredly Harry pulled the door from Ron's grip, ignoring the redheaded Gryffindor's squeak in surprise when he only now realized his best friend standing there, and he moved in front of both of his friends angrily.

"Thank Slytherin," Draco breathed and he moved forward without thinking, hugging him tightly and hiding his face in the crook of Harry's neck, inhaling deeply.

It wasn't until Ron shouted, "What the hell," that the blonde pulled away. "What's going on," his best friend demanded.

Draco pulled Harry behind him protectively and Harry almost teared up. It was still there. It was the one thing about Draco that got Harry really wet-eyed with the warm fuzzies taking over his stomach. Yeah, so the blonde could get pissed off so easily the brunette had assumed he rehearsed the act in front of a mirror. The anger was mostly always directed towards his friends only because of their feud back in school and because of their ignorance towards Harry's pain when he'd given up living, but there was the fact that he would get even angrier when he was trying to keep something special by his side.

_I wasn't forgotten _Harry realized happily. Without thinking on his side Harry pushed himself against Draco's back and pleaded, "Dray, please."

Ron immediately turned red and Harry flinched at how it reminded him of his uncle when he had definitely done something wrong. At their close contact Draco hadn't missed the shudder either and he grit his teeth and backed Harry away from both of his friends.

"This is ridiculous, Draco," Harry tried to reason, but he didn't try to get in between him and his friends either. After all, he wasn't suicidal….now.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. Deciding it was too pointless to continue playing the messengers for the old coot that runs the school anymore. "Let's go home. We need to talk."

All hell exploded at once. Ron shouted at everyone in words that were too run together that even Harry, who spoke fluent angry Ronald Weasley, had trouble connecting it. In all the fuss Harry even heard Draco finally shout back in a very un-Malfoy-ish way.

"Are you so poor that you sold your hearing for an extra knut, Weasley! After he defeated that snake ass Moldie Voldie lord I fucking shouted his name for the whole school to hear!" And then his pale hand grabbed Harry's tan one and he apparated out so fast that when they appeared in front of their house again Harry tripped over himself and landed on top of the blonde unceremoniously.


	3. Misunderstanding of Sorts

Not even an hour later Harry was forced into the house did he receive the very angry, extra loud Howler that he should've been dumb not to expect after the kind of scene he'd caused. He didn't care at this point but as the Howler screamed louder and louder at him and cursed his name for going to their enemies to share a bed with and how he was never welcome at their home again did he break down into his hands and lean heavily against Severus when it finally finished and shredded itself into thousands of red pieces onto the carpet.

Usually at this point he would love it when Draco coddled him and loved him, but this time he pushed him back unexpectedly hard enough to cause the blonde to stumble back and onto the plush rug with a shocked look. "Don't touch me," he shouted, wrapping his arms around himself and shaking as though he were standing in the middle of a snow storm wearing summer attire. "You knew! You knew I didn't want them to know and now you know why! Why are you doing this to me!"

Growling Draco was just about to start shouting back, reverting back into their customary old school fights when Severus held up the two different messages he'd stuffed into his pocket before he left. "We were worried," which stopped Draco effectively.

"They're just notes," Harry grumbled, rubbing his face to stop his crying.

Draco's gaze narrowed and he bit out, "Harry, this is just…it's wrong!" When green eyes connected with his he continued. "Did you think we're too stupid to connect it? So what happened to cause this," he demanded, waving his manicured fingers at the two notes. "You hate magical notes, I know that, but I was in a hurry and wasn't thinking. There's a first time for everything."

The brunette stared up at him angrily, remembering how hurt he was about how the two of them acted for the past couple weeks and wanted to throw back that it had been quite a lot of firsts then, but he bit his tongue. It would be dumb to even argue about something like that now. He kept trying to remind himself that the two of them had started out together and Harry had only been invited along for the ride. So what if they had seemed serious when they wanted him.

His eyes pricked just a bit.

So what if they told him they loved him and always wanted to be with him.

Harry's vision blurred and he lowered his gaze slowly to the floor, clenching his fists in his lap.

Or even if they made love to him so sweetly, whispering wonderful nothings into his ear and holding him tightly enough that Harry believed he might burst with emotions.

He finally let his tears fall and he didn't care who saw anymore. It was too late for a lot of things.

Did he even have to remind himself how happy he was that they asked him to live with them?

He broke down completely, hiding his face and rocking back and forth in his seat as his sobs echoed around the room.

Draco stared at the brunette, moved into a shocked silence, and even Severus was at a loss as to what to say.

B R E A K

That night Harry paused at the doorway to their bedroom, puffy-eyed and red faced. His usually bright, cheery face that was fuller with emotions than the two Slytherins put together was devoid of anything and the shine in his emerald green had been dulled severely. He shocked the both of his lovers – were they even lovers anymore he wondered – when he shuffled over to his share of drawers and fished out some fleece bottoms and a sweatshirt before backing out of the room without a word. He stopped at the guest bedroom he took over when he holed himself up in the bathroom and glanced back to where Severus and Draco were watching him silently in the doorway, begging him with their eyes to come back. He moved further, choosing instead the furthest guest bedroom instead and this time didn't care about how childish he was purposefully being.

That night nobody slept but neither of the three could find the courage to move to where the missing piece of their heart was. What would they say when standing at the edge of the bed? It seemed kind of silly to ask to sleep there when it had been like second nature to just crawl in with them before. When the sun finally began to rise Severus moved from the bed to begin breakfast, needing something that seemed normal now to keep him from fidgeting like Draco.

Breakfast was the most tense it had ever been before and usually it was the best thing about mornings since it was the brightest of their meals together. They would talk and happily exchange several kisses with each other, only wanting to keep spending time with each other. There was even one time when Draco had gotten so carried away once that he'd attacked Harry in his chair, crawling onto his lap and purposefully working himself up rubbing against him, getting off on Harry's surprised but pleased moans and heavy sighs. That night had been even better when Severus also had been pink faced from the display and was unusually passionate when Draco insisted they return to bed for a few hours.

Harry forced away the fonder memories as he tried to force the toast and eggs down his throat. After stiffly pushing only three bites into his mouth though he realized it was a useless fight when he felt the hardness between his thighs and his appetite had officially ended, pushing his plate away and standing up to put his dishes away. It was the first time he'd skipped meals with the two of them since school when he didn't have anywhere else to be (like his work as an excuse) and it thoroughly shocked both Slytherins further when he walked away. They'd become hopeful when Harry glanced briefly back at them for a flittering second, but drooped even further when he walked away. They didn't see Harry for the rest of the day either and even prolonged eating dinner by twenty minutes just to see if their favorite Gryffindor would come back.

Halfway through the meal though Harry walked in the front door and the two of them were up in time to see him fold a piece of paper and shove it into his sweatshirt pocket.

"Dinner's ready," Draco told him tensely, but he was promptly ignored. That in itself was a worrier for the both of them as they shared a glance. Just as much as Harry hated interrupting, it was ignoring someone. He'd spent the whole first half of his life being ignored and hated by his relatives so much so that he wouldn't wish it on anyway. Severus took Draco's hand and they held each other tightly while dinner went uneaten that night.

Before slipping under the covers for another restless night Severus went to the guest bedroom and glanced around, hoping to speak with Harry if the brunette refused to start the conversation that would help to fix things between the three of them. In a way, the Potions Master understood why. It was, inevitably, both of the Slytherins' fault this began so he didn't care if it had to be at least one of them to start patching things up. But Harry wasn't in the bedroom.

Curiously he glanced at a piece of paper on the dresser and as he read through it he felt his eyes widen and his real age crawled through his bones at the words. His eyes scanned the room and his eyes landed on something half hidden under the bed. Hurrying over to it he felt his heart tighten at a picture of apartment buildings with the address scrawled across the back in elegant handwriting. He dropped it as though the picture burned and he ran down the stairs and through open the door just as Harry descended the steps, looking up at the sky. There was a duffle bag across his shoulder and he was looking around as though taking everything in one last time.

"Harry," Severus whispered brokenly, clicking the door shut behind him.

Dead green eyes finally met his and it was the first words he'd spoken in nearly two days. "I'll send for my things," he said curtly in a voice Severus had never heard him speak in, even about Voldemort. It was already dead, void of anything that defined Harry so perfectly. Even when he was convinced about his death during school it had never been so bad.

"Why," the man demanded sadly, grabbing the railing to the stairs in a white-gripped hand. "Why are you doing this, Harry? We can fix this, I know it. Weren't we happy?"

Harry shook his head slowly, his dead green eyes never leaving Severus' black ones. "I know when it's time to go…"

"What are you talking about, Harry. Draco and I don't wish for you to go. We love you too much to even think it."

Green eyes sharpened and there was a stir of emotion that hadn't been there before. "Funny way of showing it," he bit out.

Severus took a quick step forward, reaching out for him desperately, and even his old snarky self that hated every disgusting student that took up his precious potions time before he got together with Draco had to admit that he was hurt when Harry shied away from him before his fingers could connect with even the fabric of his sweatshirt or the sleek material of the duffle bag.

"Harry?" Two pairs of eyes shifted to the doorway they hadn't even heard click open again. Draco stood there brokenly in his boxers with a robe, Harry's Gryffindor red robe Severus noted, wrapped tightly around him. "Please don't go," he begged. "We can work through this, whatever it is. Running away isn't always the answer."

Sighing Harry dropped his bag, glaring at the both of them. "What was last week," he demanded.

"Last…week," Draco echoed. "I don't understand."

"Monday then? Or Tuesday?" Harry's voice was livid now and his careful self control was shattering through his cool exterior, fists clenched tightly at his sides while his volume rose higher and higher. "This whole past week? What was it!" The only answers he received though were owlish blinks from both of the men. "Then we have nothing to talk about." He picked up his bag again and turned, but Severus was slightly faster.

He reasoned, "We knew you'd be upset so we didn't say anything." Harry paused, glancing over his shoulder with a slight shine of hope glittering in his eyes. "We thought you'd…behave unnecessarily but it never occurred to us that hiding it from you like this….we didn't think you'd find out the sole reason for it."

The sharp as ever Severus might not have even caught on as quickly, but Draco, watching both men's expressions and knowing how each thought as a personal and proud talent of his was slowly figuring things out and how this conversation would go. His gut was telling him something was very, very wrong with the direction of this confrontation.

Eyes narrowed and the voice that answered was so cold both men were unsure if it was really Harry talking. "You didn't think I would notice you both woke up early and started working an hour before I even woke up? That I'd come home and not see the two dishes magically washed by the sink?" Draco stiffened, watching Harry carefully. "That I would see the two of you in the bedroom – our bedroom," his voice cracked, "and didn't bother to tell me you guys wanted a personal day for each other. I would've been more than happy to disappear for the day so you guys could have your time so why did you sneak around me and not say anything!? And keeping it from me the whole time, the two past weeks it's been like this and not even an attempt to say anything to me? Is this how you want such a twisted relationship to be? Full of lies and hiding and quick whispers of 'Harry will be home soon'," he mocked, catching the stab at Draco and the blonde knew it as he paled miserably, "just so you can quickly finish the job!"

Hiding his face in the collar of the robe he shook his head, leaning against the wall from fear that his legs would give out on him. He had said exactly those words and he hated it now more than ever. "It wasn't like that…"

"It was rather sudden," Severus explained, "But it was a needed last minute personal time more for reassurance purposes."

For Draco it was like a home run only rather than the excitement of seeing the ball hit out of the park he was scared out of his mind for the second time in his life and, of all the times, he couldn't find his voice to say anything. Before he could stop it Severus was already explaining about the reference of the paper cut dripping on the table or his bloody nose from walking into the door, how it had shocked Draco to a terrible jolt through the system with the immense feelings that had bombarded him each time. There was no controlling the situation now and Draco knew it as he slid down the wall and landed on the porch wearily.

"What the hell," Harry ground out angrily, "does a paper cut or a nosebleed have anything to do with you going behind my back and _lying_ to me!"

"The blood," Draco whispered only loud enough for the brunette to hear, hiding his face in his hands as he shook. "There was so much blood." It wasn't really an explanation, but more of a mantra the blonde must've said a few times and to Harry it sounded half familiar, but he wasn't sure why. Severus was at the blonde's side instantly, holding him and rocking him gently before his gaze drifted up to stare in worry at Harry's expression as it shifted between confusion and anger before it glazed over with an ice-white paleness and his whole body started to shake.

Harry knew exactly where he'd heart Draco's words before, though they'd been half finished when he said them the first time. The infirmary when he woke up and how upset Draco had been. He'd only told him 'there'd been so much' but so much of what the brunette only now just found out. All of his feelings before Draco and Severus had saved him from himself and how desperate he was for anything and nothing at the same time. About what Madam Pomfrey had said about his physical injuries being healed after he'd a chance to rest a bit. That's where he was stuck and he never felt so dim-witted before in his life. What hadn't it connected before? What physical injuries had she been talking about? Everything had hurt during the times he'd woke up so he couldn't recall at any point where he'd actually been hurt to the point where he'd bleed. Was that why he'd been so dizzy and weak that first time he woke up? Blood loss? That would certainly explain a lot. But then losing that much blood that would be enough to knock him out for a few days would mean that if he hadn't known it he must've, at some time, gone to a point where it was considered critical enough to even make Draco cry in front of other people. Enough that Severus would need to comfort the blonde who could easily sort himself out when he was upset enough to cry normally. That would lean to Draco and Severus both fearing for him while he was unconscious enough for Draco to have to be taken care of, even if it meant staying the strong one.

"Oh God," Harry whispered, holding a hand up to his mouth as he felt he was going to be sick. Everything suddenly made so much more sense. The dizziness and weakness, the odd behavior, Draco crying when he woke up with him there, and how coddled they were with him when he recovered, how desperate Draco had been with him. Even the blood reference even though he couldn't remember ever having been hurt when he'd killed Voldemort. Severus and Draco had been the first ones there. Draco and Severus must've seen him soaked in enough blood that even a simple paper cut or nosebleed would set off the blonde to freak out. He had done the one thing he swore he never wanted to do, why he hadn't wanted to get involved with anyone when he feared for his life at Voldemort's hand. The two that had saved his very existence and gave him the strength he needed to beat the snake-faced bastard and he even did it unknowingly. He'd hurt his two most important people.

"Harry," Draco called for him and he knew from the tone of voice that it wasn't the first time he'd been called. When Harry blinked Severus and Draco were both at his sides holding him up as he sobbed uncontrollably.

He scrambled away at their touches, not being able to bear their holding him. He hated that he'd given them each such a forbidden feeling at his near death experience. "I have to go," he mumbled, looking everywhere but at them as the panic settled into his stomach. "I have to leave. I have to leave now. I need to go!" And, without his packed duffle bag, Harry popped out of the area in a frenzied turn and apparated.

B R E A K

Severus and Draco had gone everywhere they could think of on where Harry would think to go to get away. The Potions Master had searched up and down every nook and cranny of Hogwarts even though Dumbledore told him the wards hadn't alerted him to anybody stepping through at the gate. The blonde had gone to where Godric's Hallow had once stood and looked everywhere in the area, calling out desperately. Both of them had even swallowed up some of their pride and approached Hermione while she was in Diagon Alley to ask if Harry had stopped by. All of their searches ended in failure. Severus had even searched down the apartments from the real estate picture but the apartment was completely empty and told nobody had come even though it had been bought.

Now, several days later, Draco was a complete mess. He never wanted to go to work over going out and looking for Harry again but Severus had made him promise he wouldn't neglect his duties.

Now, out in the yard gathering herbs for his work Severus felt the very obvious twinge on his back that told him someone was staring at him. Black eyes glanced up slowly, carefully, and glanced around the distant trees before a movement caught his spy-trained eyes. Something out by the tree line in the very obvious shape of a person was staring at him. It was obvious when the person knew he was caught when they backed away, disappearing into the trees. He felt himself tear open when he realized it had been Harry. Before he could even stop himself and reason that as frightened as his brunette was before he had definitely already apparated out of sight. Nonetheless when he was gasping at the line of trees he was calling out Harry's name desperately, looking around and trying to catch any sign of life other than animals.

By the time Severus gave in and walked back to the house Draco was already home, sitting at the table with a dead expression to his tired, pale face. He told him what happened and the blonde also ran out to the porch and scanned the area, calling out fruitlessly for Harry to come back. Together they popped out of their house and directly into the apartment their missing lover had bought on a whim that he might be there but it was just a lifeless as Draco's eyes and Severus' core, same as the first time they checked it.

It was the next day Draco was helping Severus water plants in the greenhouse when the Potions Master looked up at Draco's gasp. He dropped his watering can carelessly, not caring that water splashed all over his jeans or that the can fell into the plants. His blue gaze was staring out the window, open mouthed and pale. "Harry," he breathed with relief. "Harry!" And he started to run but the brunette was gone before he could even get to his feet.

That night was definitely the worst since Harry's disappearance. Draco cried all night and didn't bother going to work. All day they were receiving all sorts of mail from Dana as well as the rest of the apartment Harry worked in asking where he was and why he was refusing to write anymore of the novels he promised. They even came up with the idea of forwarding the owls and hoping to follow them but they all returned to the house undelivered. If there was one thing they had to agree on when it came to Harry, if he didn't want to be found not even the magical mail owls could find his missing person.

It continued on like that for a week. They would catch glimpses of Harry every now and then watching from the tree line, but neither tried to chase fruitlessly after him anymore. It hurt to watch each time they looked up in time to catch their brunette trip over himself just to get away again. If not chasing him kept him around for a few seconds longer than that was all they could allow themselves now. Without a chance to get close to him they had no way of convincing him to come back into their lives.

So, naturally, it was a shock to Severus nearly a week and a half later that he heard a creak of rope. He knew it couldn't be Draco since the blonde had painfully thrown himself into his work to try drowning out his hurt momentarily, even staying late and leaving early which he hated doing with a passion. He was stunned into a frozen silence that rung loudly in his ears when he saw Harry watching him with a lowered gaze, leaning against the tire swing at the end of the walkway.

"Harry," his voice said, risen to the point where he didn't recognize it himself. He took a cautious step forward, relief flooding through him even at just seeing his missing lover.

Harry's words were even quieter than normal, as though he hadn't spoken in the entire time he'd been away, that even Severus and his sharp spy hearing had to strain to catch the one word that slipped past his barely open mouth. "Hi."

"We were looking everywhere for you," he explained, continuing to inch his way forward hopefully.

"Sorry."

When he finally came to a stop Severus could've cried when he finally got to envelop the familiar and yet now stranger body in his arms once more. He felt smaller, thinner in his grip than he remembered and he had to wonder if he hadn't eaten in his disappearance as well.

"Sorry," the teen rasped out again.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty," the man tried desperately.

Harry didn't say anything but at Severus' urging on his pale hand he was happily and ecstatically led into the house and watched as he sat down at his usual place at the table, staring with a detached gaze as Severus put something warm together in a hurry.

The third member of their trio couldn't have had better timing when he tripped out of the floo network and cursed as he tripped over the rug. "You won't believe this, Severus," he shouted from the living room. Severus looked up carefully to watch the blonde enter just as Harry shifted his head just enough so he could stare from the corner of his eyes, his expression never shifting from the living dead look he was giving. "That damn bastard sent me home for a personal day because –." And he froze, open-mouthed and eyes as wide as the day he first saw himself do something magical. Stock still and nailed to his spot on the floor where he paused in the doorway of the kitchen and the living room, dropping his things on the floor as all feeling left his limbs.

Harry only turned his head away sadly, putting his fork down and shifted in the seat. True enough to recent Draco actions he was enveloped in a harsh, tight hug as Draco sobbed into his chest and said such things as, "Thank magic," and "I was so scared," into the crook of his shoulder. He even caught a curt, "I hate you, Harry Potter," but it was quickly followed up with a, "I hate loving you so much like this!"

They moved into the living room after Harry was urged to finish eating, Severus having to peel Draco away so he could pick up the fork again. As soon as they sat down though Draco promptly and as inelegantly as was un-Draco fashion, crawled in the brunette's lap and latched his grip around Harry's neck where he fell asleep faster than either had ever known.

"He hasn't been sleeping well," Severus explained, taking a seat next to him and petting the blonde hair to soothe the mutterings coming from the tired Slytherin before moving his ministrations to Harry.

"Sorry," Harry said again, the same word he'd said in the little over an hour he'd been back.

Though Severus wouldn't say anything about it yet, the one word replies were beginning to worry him. "Where did you go," he prompted eagerly, wanting to get more out of the brunette to prove they hadn't at least lost him completely yet.

Harry shrugged, careful not to dislodge the blonde and wake him. "Everywhere." Then he sighed and blinked harshly as though there were a bright light in his eyes after sitting in a dark room for hours. "Nowhere," he corrected. Severus didn't even have to urge when he saw Harry's tense frame finally relax and at last his hands weaved around Draco's trim waist and his face in his shoulder. "I tried to go somewhere, anywhere else, but I kept getting called back here. I was fine with just watching and then leaving when I was found out, but then it started to hurt more." He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes tiredly and Severus also had to wonder if he hadn't been sleeping as well as talking or eating. "I had to get closer," he continued, "I had to hear your voices. Had to speak with you. I didn't want to leave but I hated myself so much."

Severus soothed his hair back and let Harry lean into him carefully so he wouldn't jostle the light blonde on his lap. The awkward position didn't seem to bother Draco at all though, only shifted and held him in his grasp tighter, mumbling something or other incoherently before falling deeper into his slumber.

"I'd done the one thing I had never wanted to do, especially to the two people most important to me. What I first started to avoid when I realized how much closer to death I was after I'd gotten together with you and Draco. At that time I had done it consciously and, all this time, I finally found out how close it was to happening and how scared I'd made Draco and you."

"What made you come back," Severus pressed, even seeing Harry's tears as well as the tightness in his own chest.

"I-," Harry paused, looking around as though the furniture would have an answer that made sense. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I don't know." Then he started to cry and he looked away, holding Draco closer to him. "I kept hearing what you two said that first time I tried to distance myself and suddenly it seemed to help. The reason he freaked out so badly was because he loved me so much. You both did and I just hadn't wanted to – It just hadn't clicked the first time through even though I understood why you did the things you did. When I realized that you two had kept it from me, that one of you or both of you must've realized I would've reacted badly to something I had tried so hard to prevent it hurt and felt good at the same time."

The Potions Master nodded, threading his fingers through Harry's dirt matted hair and not caring at all that usually it would feel unpleasant. He still couldn't believe that Harry had come back to them and that he was finally close enough to touch after weeks of only catching too short of glimpses.

When it was clear that the brunette was finished for the time being Severus filled up the silence. He went on to explain that it had taken Draco a while to calm down but eventually had to admit he'd never gotten over the scare and when he saw the paper cut he came crashing back just because it was you and you're so used to getting hurt and being careless. Of course, it didn't help that he didn't want to tell you about the incident to begin with and begged Albus not to say anything and to tell the student body to do so as well. Your nosebleed as well did the same thing. Normally nobody would care very much over simple injuries but you aren't just anybody either. So he ran to me the first time it happened and through his broken vocabulary I understood what happened."

_No wonder he didn't care very much that I got blood everywhere when it happened_ Harry told himself reasonably, leaning his head back against the cushion and staring up at the ceiling.

"I couldn't think of anything else that would help besides telling you the truth but Draco was too scared about what would happen if you knew. For good reasons I guess," he joked a little bit, offering a humored smirk at the corner of his mouth before he dropped it when it wasn't returned. "The only other thing I could do was keep up his reassurances that you weren't going to suddenly disappear and let yourself die again, but that took more trust than he was willing to offer since you've already proven you can be pretty nonchalant about your own death." He paused and when Harry finally turned his gaze on him he finished. "I promise you, Harry, we were going to tell you eventually but it was up to when Draco felt he was ready enough to talk about it and could accept that you might disappear if only to control yourself again."

There was nothing at first and Severus feared for the worst at the brunette's silence. But then Harry nodded, leaning his head back against the cushion again, sliding his fingers up and down Draco's side, slipping his hands underneath his shirt and loving the feel of the silky skin hiding there. "It was a misunderstanding of sorts," he mused, letting out a stream of air in a mock sigh.

B R E A K

When Draco finally woke up he was lying on the couch with a light blanket tucked around his form. He immediately jumped up, startled, a he took a quick look around the room. "Harry," he squeaked, moving to the kitchen and then up the stairs. "Harry!" He stumbled into the kitchen where Severus was glancing through the paper at the table.

"Impeccable timing as always, Draco. I was just about to wake you," he mused thoughtfully, a light smile playing at his lips.

"Harry," the blonde demanded. "Where's Harry?" He turned to go look again but Severus stayed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. As he watched his Slytherin lover he saw him chew on his bottom lip in such a way that he knew just as Draco's mannerisms surfaced in Harry, Harry's little actions of fretting were born in Draco.

"Relax, love," he coaxed, easing him down into his chair and rubbing his hand. "He went to go see Dana and explain what happened. He promised to come back as soon as she stopped throwing hexes his way."

The blonde stared at him in a sort of frenzied look, face contorting in a million different expressions before he settled on livid. "Are you crazy," he blurted out. "Why'd you let him go alone?"

Severus frowned and forced Draco to stay in his respective chair. "If you follow after him like a lost snake he'd think we'd never trust him again. He gave his word and Harry has always been good on his promises. You know that as well as I so put some faith in him," he scolded. Then he released Draco's hand when he was sure the blonde wasn't going to shoot up again. "He's already told me his side of view of what happened and it's no wonder a huge misunderstanding happened in the first place. If you ask I'm sure he'll explain it to you as well so stay put, twiddle your thumbs, and be amazed when he comes back just in time for the food to come out just like always!"

Draco was shocked and dumbfounded into silence all at once. It bothered him at first that Severus had actually shouted since he was usually much calmer and in control of himself because of his time spying, but then he felt like an idiot as well. Severus loved Harry just as much as he did. He'd even said it himself. Of course he'd be worried but with Draco constantly on the flip out he'd never noticed how the Potions Master had been itching to bite at his own nails. All of a sudden he felt himself loving Severus even more and he nodded, apologizing and straightening up in his chair.

Severus smiled warmly at him in return and then returned to his paper after checking on the pot boiling on the stove. Draco was certain at this point that when Harry announced he was leaving to see Dana he had probably had to stifle his own concerns to the point where even Harry saw it and felt fit to make a promise on it. He'd been counting on Severus and Draco to trust him. Just as he smiled at his own line of thoughts the floo came in and Harry stepped out wearily. The blonde smiled at him and this time kept himself in his chair, keeping himself from launching another assault on him. It was definitely time to get back to normal he decided.

At seeing him awake Harry smiled at him as well as if nothing had been different and sat down. What did change though was, oddly enough, Harry put his hand on the table palm up the same time he shifted the pile of paper Severus was done with and shifted through to the comics. Draco stared dumbly at it before slowly raising his gaze and met Harry's sweet stare and corner raised smile, feeling his heart melt at the tender expression. He gingerly took Harry's hand and squeezed back when he felt Harry give his hand a momentary hug. They didn't let go of each other's hands until dinner was placed on the table, but even then Harry wrapped an ankle around his foot and played footsies while they ate. During that time Draco definitely had to admit that there was a certain change to Harry that he couldn't place. He certainly never did things like this before, not that he was going to complain, but he did have to wonder what shifted to make him suddenly act like he just realized he was in love for the first time.

After the quiet meal Harry excused himself quietly, disentangling himself from Draco's legs and then washed his plate quickly. Before he left he kissed Severus' cheek lightly and patted the blonde's shoulder as he passed by. Upstairs they heard the bath drawn and they glanced at each other again.

"He must be feeling uncomfortable," Severus mused, standing up to wash his own plate.

Draco agreed but didn't say anything except for the slight hum in the back of his throat. Quickly he washed his own dishes and then as hesitantly as he would allow himself he walked up the stairs and stood in the bathroom door, contemplating with himself. When he finally decided he undressed quickly and cracked open the door. Severus just rolled his eyes at him and let the two of them be alone. After all, he'd already had his alone time with their returned lover, even though Draco was there if only asleep.

Harry looked from his reflection in the water and stared open-mouthed with no time to protest when Draco fluidly stepped into the water and kissed him deeply. His cock was already hardening from the sight of the blonde's beautiful marble-like body and he felt the answering length pushed against his stomach. What he wasn't ready for was when Draco shifted and pushed himself down onto Harry's erection, fingers curling tightly and his voice giving way to the pain that was there in the form of a squeak as he held himself against Harry.

The brunette wasn't sure what to say if anything. He didn't want Draco to hurt himself though and his hands had already come up to steady themselves onto the trim waist when the blonde forced himself to move up and down, water sloshing slightly against the edges of the tub. If it was Draco initiating this, the one of their trio who hated pain beyond belief and would do anything to get out of it, than he must've had a reason for it. Harry just hoped that he was wrong about the reason. As it was though, just looking into the sad gaze staring back at him as Draco continued to move, he knew he was right. Draco had never liked to punish himself because it was proving he made mistakes, but right then it was exactly what he was doing in his own way: reprimanding himself for not telling Harry the truth when it happened and for letting him think something completely out of the box.

The next time Draco lifted himself up, flinching at the sandpaper feeling that came with raw skin on skin like this Harry held him up. When blue met green Harry smiled sadly, knowing he never wanted to see this face in pain again. The blonde protested when Harry pushed him back against the other end of the tub and kissed him shyly, but before he could say anything else the brunette turned him around and propped him up on his hands and knees. It was one of his favorite things about this tub, Harry knew it. At first he'd been unsure about using the bathtub as a place to fool around but after the first time he admitted he couldn't get enough of it.

Draco continued to complain that this was something he wanted to do, but he was effectively shut up when tentative fingers circled his abused opening, shivering lightly and whimpering at the feeling so very different from Severus'. And then without any warning he jolted and shouted just about every curse word imaginable, old and suddenly made up ones, all in the string of one word when Harry moved forward and started lapping at his recently roughened hole while rolling his balls in one hand. "Fuck, Harry," he breathed, leaning over the edge of the tub to give him more room and for once not caring that water was sloshing on the floor as he lost control of his hips.

It was when Harry pushed forward just enough that the tip of his tongue slipped past the first ring of muscle that Draco must've moaned loudly enough for even their very far away neighbors might be able to hear him. The brunette just smiled and continued his erotic ministrations all the while ignoring Draco's obvious painful and weeping length that jumped every time Harry slipped his tongue back inside the loosening hole. Then Harry pulled back and waited for Draco's breathing to slow a bit before pushing his cock into him with one thrust, watching Draco push back with a loud, pleased moan. It had definitely been too long and the tightness consuming Harry's erection certainly proved that.

Harry couldn't even remember that last time he'd done this with just Draco but he knew right then it didn't really care. "Merlin, Draco, I don't think I've ever felt you this tight," Harry breathed hot air along the cool skin of the blonde's back and made his lover shiver.

"I love you, Harry," Draco whispered. He was certain he might've heard Harry say it back but he was much too out of it when Harry began thrusting into him again, fast and hard just like how he wanted it and loved it.

B R E A K

The next day Harry woke up he was shocked to see that without even setting his wand he woke up before Severus. Shaking his head he went to go make some tea, setting out three cups and already the necessary sugar and cream to each one while the water was boiling. As he was finishing up an owl floated in for him and he fed it some toast before sending it along. Just as he finished reading through it once Severus with Draco quickly behind him walked in. He didn't say anything to either of them even though he knew his face must've been pale, shoved the letter into his pocket, and excused himself without his tea.

"Harry," Draco called, stepping closer to him hesitantly.

The brunette kept walking. "I'm sorry," he told them, heading up the stairs without pausing. "Please excuse me." And he walked out of sight around the corner, skipping breakfast.

Neither knew what to say but decided to leave him alone for the time being. They found him later curled up on the loveseat in the library, clutching the letter tightly in his white-fisted hand.

"Harry, love, what's wrong," Severus questioned, taking the seat beside him while Draco knelt between his knees and laid his cheek on one of his thighs. Harry lifted his head up and both men were relieved to find he hadn't been crying so they relaxed, but only a little.

"Hermione," his voice cracked so he tried again after quickly apologizing. "Mione's pregnant….she wants me to come over," he answered shakily.

Draco lifted his head up, choosing his words carefully so as to not further upset his Gryffindor lover. "That's good, right," he asked. At Harry's nod he was about to say more, but then he remembered the redhead and his awful Howler about Harry never coming back.

"I'm scared," he admitted without prompting from either, leaning heavily against Severus as he stared at the letter in his grasp. "Ron will be there and I'm afraid he'll start yelling again."

Severus comforted him and Draco let his hands soothe up and down the tan arms silently. After several minutes he asked, "Are you going?" Harry nodded, knowing for sure he wouldn't be able to stay away even if it meant his once best mate would curse him out. Hermione wanted him there so he would go.

B R E A K

When they arrived at the house Draco and Severus waited just out of sight. True, there was no point in hiding their relationship from the two now, but they certainly weren't going to put up with a verbal attack on the male Weasley's part if it came down to that. As it was it was Hermione who opened the door, smiling brightly and pulling Harry into a tight hug. Then she pulled back and, with that same cheery smile on her face, pulled her hand back and promptly slapped Harry across the face. Severus and Draco were left standing there at a complete loss. Draco certainly knew she could do it having been on the receiving end once before back in their third year, but never did he think she'd turn it on her best friend.

"Harry James Potter, I cannot believe you kept something like this all to your scrawny little self," she yelled, smile turning upside down into a scowl that scarily reminded Harry of Molly Weasley when she's scolding Ron, or worse, the twins.

He looked away, rubbing his cheek lightly and feeling the sting pulse with blood. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"At least you're sorry. Come in, come in, no use standing in the doorway." Then she stared at the two Slytherins standing off a ways, still staring at her with slight shock before she ushered them in as well. "Well," she demanded and, though Draco and probably Severus didn't know what she was asking, Harry did.

"There were….insinuating circumstances that Draco got involved in with last year where my welfare was concerned. He was worried which got Severus involved as well since they were already together and well…long story short they helped me a lot and I couldn't ask for more."

The bushy-haired girl glared between the three of them for a while before smiling brightly and heading off to the kitchen to pull out some freshly baked cookies and placing them on the table. "That's where you disappeared to then. Like we told you, we thought you found yourself a nice girlfriend and," glancing at the other two calculatingly she finished, "and I can see that wasn't completely untrue. Honestly, Harry, you couldn't mentioned you were into men."

Harry didn't want to mention that he hadn't really considered either preference since he thought he was going to die, but instead he just shrugged. When he met his two lovers' eyes he blushed sheepishly and turned away. "I hadn't realized it until it already happened," he explained. He'd probably be hearing about that one again when they returned home. There was no way Severus missed such a look and not have it figured out by now, even if Draco would take a little while longer.

"I see. Well, that's good and all and I can see the reason for all the secrecy but I'm just glad to know you aren't really living all alone in such a solitary place." She paused and looked at them again, frowning. "I'm right, aren't I? You are living together?" All three nodded and she smiled once again. "Wonderful, wonderful. I'm so happy for you," and she kissed Harry's cheek that she smacked. "How's your face," she wondered.

Harry nodded, rubbing it again with a small smile. Without warning he was smacked again on the other cheek and then an arm full of the redheaded Weasley lady, repeatedly telling him what an idiot he was. "Ginny?"

"You totally lied to me, Harry Potter," she accused murderously. "You said I would be the first to know. You promised!"

"I'm sorry," he told her carefully, pulling his face away lest he'd get smacked again. "It was sort of an accident…but," he waved his hand over to them. "I'm sure I don't need to introduce?"

Ginny pulled off his lap and was brave enough to get into each of the Slytherins' faces with a bright blue glare, pointing at each of them angrily. "You better not hurt him or _I'll_ be coming after you," she finally threatened and then snatched a cookie off the plate and munched into is happily.

It was at that point that Harry remembered his real reason for visiting and his smile brightened. "So you and Ron aren't only about loud arguments," he joked, knowing she'd catch on.

Blushing prettily Hermione sat down and took a cookie for herself. "Very funny. But for some reason," she started, "the owl kept coming back with the mail." Harry's expression fell again and he fidgeted with his hands for a while. "I tried to tell you the day I found out to see if it would get you to come back, but I was terrified when the owl still had the mail. I wondered if it was that awful Howler Ronald sent you that had finally struck your last nerve. But then I was calling myself silly knowing that you hate having people ignored no matter how pissed off you might be. You would've at least read the thing for your own gain even if you didn't respond to it." Then she puffed up looking all matter-of-factly and waved at the couch Severus and Draco were sitting on. "Let me tell you, when I found out he really sent that horrible letter he was on that couch for a week. I never realized the bed was so big without him but he definitely deserved it."

It was then that a cough sounded throughout the room from the top of the stairs and Harry turned to see Ron sitting at the top no doubt listening in on the whole conversation from the beginning.

"Hey," Harry waved shyly, unsure of what would happen.

Ron glared at him for a second before groaning and rubbing his eyes. "Hi," he grumbled. His blue eyes were harsh as he glared at the two Slytherins, never leaving them as he made his way down the stairs. It wasn't until he was standing in front of Harry that he moved his gaze back to his best friend. "Blimey, Harry, I don't understand the whole gay thing so I won't try to, so I'm not sure I even want to delve further but…" he glanced back at the couch again and grimaced, turning back to Harry with a defeated face, "but Malfoy _and_ Snape? Well, you never did things the easy way, did you?"


End file.
